Volvo Launches Luxed up S80 Executive and Sportier-looking V70 R-Design

Swedish carmaker Volvo is expanding its lineup with the introduction of two new models, the top-end S80 Executive sedan and the sportier loooking V70 R-Design station wagon.

Starting with Volvo’s premium sedan model, a special badge on the C-pillar hints at the enhanced features inside, which include a leather wrapped instrument panel, ventilated soft leather seats with massage function, leather-covered door panels, an aluminum center console storage compartment and an analogue clock on the dashboard. The extra thick carpets and an optional fridge in the rear seat that comes with a set of Swedish crystal glasses round off the equipment upgrades.

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Volvo Concept Universe Hints at Design Direction for New Luxury Sedan

Making its world premiere today at the Shanghai Auto Show is the new Volvo Concept Universe, a study for a luxury sedan model that also provides a peek at the Swedish automaker’s future design language.

While Volvo did not release any technical details on the Concept Universe, the fact that it measures less than 5 meters in length points at a design study for a replacement for the firm’s S80 sedan and not a larger, Mercedes-Benz S-Class rival that the Swedish company’s Chinese owner Geely has been recently talking about.

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Volvo Teases Mysterious Concept Universe that Could Preview a Flagship Model

Volvo released a teaser video of its upcoming Concept Universe, without giving out any additional information other than that it's a new design study that will be launched shortly. This means it could debut at one of this month's international auto shows, either in New York (April 22 – May 1) or Shanghai (April 21 – 28). Taking into account the fact that Volvo is owned by China’s Geely, the Shanghai show could be the more probable venue of the two for the new Volvo. Read more »

2012 Volvo V70, XC70 and S80 get Revised Diesel Engines and New Features

Volvo announced that it will offer a number of upgrades for its new model year V70, XC70 and S80, including the introduction of the latest iteration of its infotainment system as well as refined D5 and D3 diesel engines with increased performance and lower fuel consumption.

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Volvo Introduces New 2.0-liter Five-Cylinder Diesel, Upgraded Six-Cylinder petrol engines

For the 2011 model year, Volvo is introducing a new five-cylinder 2.0-litre turbo diesel that will be available throughout its range while the Swedish automaker also upgraded the six-cylinder petrol engines offered on the S80, V70, XC70 and XC60.

The new five-cylinder diesel unit is in principle the same engine as the 2.4-litre diesel, but its displacement has been reduced (with a shorter stroke) to 2.0-liters. It will be offered in three different variants in terms of output.

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New Volvo S80 and V70 DRIVe with 1.6-liter Diesel Return 4.5lt/100km - 52.3 mpg US with 119g/km CO2

Thanks to a few minor tweaks, Volvo has managed to further reduce CO2 emissions and improve fuel efficiency on its S80 and V70 DRIVe models from the 2009MYs 129 g/km and 4.9 lt/100 km (48mpg US) to 119 g/km and 4.5 lt/100 km (52.3mpg US) on the 2010MYs respectively.

Both cars continue to use a 1.6-liter diesel with 109HP and 240Nm of peak torque that's hooked up to a five-speed manual gearbox.

However, Volvo's engineers employed a smart battery recharging system that 'forces' the alternator to charge the battery only when the engine is operating at low load (e.g. when driving downhill), while they also redesigned the tensioner and alternator pulleys.

"Smart battery recharging is the most important measure," says Ulf Nordström, Technical Project manager at Volvo Cars.

"It is primarily thanks to this that we have dipped below the 120-gram level that gives car owners tax breaks and other benefits in a number of European countries. What is more, one might say that we offer the normal driver one free tank of fuel a year," Nordström added.

The Swedish automaker said that the reduction in fuel consumption from a combined 4.9 lt/100 km to 4.5 l/100 km means that someone driving 15,000 km a year will save 60 liters of diesel or as Nordström put it, one fuel tank.

Volvo did not disclose any performance figures for the updated 2010MY S80 and V70 DRIVe, but just to get an idea, the 2009MY S80 DRIVe accelerates from standstill to 100km/h in a claimed 12.4 seconds and reaches a top speed of 118mph or 189 km/h.

We say that, while any efforts to improve CO2 emissions and fuel consumption are more than welcome, fitting a puny 1.6-liter diesel engine in cars of the size and weight of the S80 and V70, isn't exactly pioneering anything new...