2018 Volvo Xc90 T5 on 2040-cars

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Wagons make a bit of a comeback, with new models, sales on the rise

Consider this an official invitation to hop on the wagon bandwagon. There's still tons of room because, well, it's a wagon (and market share is still extremely small). But according to new data, the segment is growing. According to a report from Bloomberg, using data from Edmunds.com, roughly 211,600 Americans purchased wagons in 2018. That is technically down from the 237,600 sold in 2017, but wagon sales in the U.S. are up 29 percent from where they were five years ago. It's also the third year in a row that wagon sales broke the 200,000 mark. The sales trends have been somewhat representative of the availability of wagons. New models have debuted during the past 5 years and therefore offer more opportunity at more brands to buy wagons. In addition to more modest cars such as the Volkswagen Golf Sportwagen, several luxury and performance brands are offering wagons today, such as Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Porsche, Jaguar, Volvo and Buick. (Bloomberg's headlines make the point that "crossovers are for the Kardashians," and wagons are just, well, classier.) This uptick in brand-name availability, as well as extremely well-executed design on most of the wagons currently available, has helped increase the segment's desirability. That, and its ability to better accomplish the same tasks at hand while standing out from the crossover and SUV crowd. Still, the posted numbers represent a small fraction of the total vehicles sold. According to the data, wagons only held a 1.4 percent market share in 2017, the segment's best recent year. Wagons hold a steadfast place in America's past, and they're writing an interesting new story. With the downturn in traditional cars, they may continue to create an unexpected narrative. Related Video: News Source: Bloomberg, Edmunds Audi BMW Buick Volkswagen Volvo Wagon station wagon

Junkyard Gem: 1965 Volvo Amazon Wagon with a heartfelt goodbye

Volvo did reasonably well selling the homely PV444/544 in the United States beginning in the middle 1950s, and its better-looking successor first appeared on our shores as a 1960 model. That was the Amazon, which was available here through 1968. Today's Junkyard Gem is one of those cars, found in a Northern California self-service yard recently. The Amazon name wasn't used on these cars in North America (they were given 122S badging here), but everybody uses the home-market name for these cars by this time. The engine is Volvo's reliable 1.8-liter pushrod straight-four, rated at 115 horsepower and 112 pound-feet. The transmission is a four-speed manual. I've found quite a few discarded Amazons during my junkyard travels, as these are rugged cars that have long inspired powerful affection from their owners. This one was so beloved that its final owner penned a farewell note to its flank before sending it on its final tow-truck ride to Pick-n-Pull. The car saved at least two lives, though it would have been nice to get more details here. The car that did it all! It was in rough shape by the time of its retirement, with the top-down rust you see on California cars that live near the Pacific and its salt spray. Junkyard shoppers had purchased most of the interior and trim components by the time I arrived. The replacement for the Amazon was the 140, which arrived in the United States as a 1968 model and later evolved into the 200 Series. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Turns you into a Swedish rally driver! This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Volvos are built so well that they last an average of 11 years in Sweden. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The best Amazon commercials are in Swedish, of course.

Volvo EX90 will be the XC90's all-electric successor

Clarification: Volvo reached out to clarify that the EX90 will be "our new flagship sold alongside XC90 for the foreseeable future" — more of a "successor" than a "replacement." The story has been updated to clarify.     Volvo has announced what we've long suspected. The XC90's successor as the Volvo flagship will be an all-electric crossover. Its name, as officially stated by Volvo, will be EX90, rather than the previously thought EXC90 or even more evocative Embla, and it will be sold alongside the XC90 for a time The primary philosophy of the new flagship, the company says, will be that old Volvo calling card: safety. The automaker promised in a statement that "standard safety in the EX90 will be beyond that of any Volvo before it." They are also reiterating that they're working to be a 100% crash-less and 100% carbon-neutral company. Volvo says the EX90 will cruise down the road with an "invisible shield" of cameras, radar and lidar sensors. They will work in unison to create a "360-degree real-time view of the world," a description that sounds like Tesla's not-quite FSD visualizations that show 3D representations of lanes and traffic movements on the center screen. Volvo says over time the software can reduce serious injury and fatal accidents by 20% and overall crash avoidance by 9%. The software is made to share data from the entire fleet similarly equipped Volvos, learning as it goes.  Inside, the car will monitor driver alertness with algorithms that track eye gaze and focus. Volvo claims the programming is "beyond what has been possible in a Volvo car to date." If the system detects distraction it will respond with increasing levels of assertiveness, starting with "softly nudging". However if the driver falls completely unconscious it's designed to safely pull over and call for help, in what sounds similar to Mazda's Co-Pilot feature or VW's Emergency Assist 2.0. Volvo has not revealed specs or the actual design of the EX90. We suspect it will be based on last year's Volvo Concept Recharge, though it could also look like the unearthed patent images from last month. The Volvo EX90 will be revealed in full on November 9.