Wanted: Automotive Partner for Small Car Development; Contact Volvo

Going it alone on new model development is a costly endeavor even for large automotive groups – and practically out of the question for smaller manufacturers.

Volvo until now has built all of its models around the platforms and powertrains from its former owner Ford. Now it is seeking a new partner to jointly develop its next generation of compact models.

Currently owned by Chinese carmaker Geely, Volvo recorded an impressive 20 percent increase in sales last year. Still, with some 450,000 units, it remains a small player in the global automotive industry, thus the need for cost sharing on new model development.

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SPIED: 2013 Volvo V40 Snagged Playing Around in the Snow [with Video]

In what could be our final round of spy photos of the upcoming Volvo V40 (or at least those picturing prototypes with heavy camouflage), our diligent spies snapped the five-door hatchback model as it was completing its winter tests on the snow.
Volvo Cars CEO Stefan Jakoby gave us a sneak peek of the new V40 at an interview with Hakan Matson, chairman of the European Car of the Year Jury, on Friday, where he also revealed that the car will be officially introduced at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show next March.
During the interview, Jakoby said that he is "extremely positive" and "really excited" about the V40, which will be positioned against the five-door variants of the Audi A3 and BMW 1-Series as well as the Lexus CT200 h.
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New Volvo V40 Five-Door Hatchback Teased Ahead of Geneva Motor Show

We've been following the development of the five-door version of the next generation Volvo C30 for quite some time, and today, the first official teaser image of the compact hatchback found its way onto the web.

There's limited information on the car as Volvo has not yet released an official statement, but the crew over Autoblog.nl reported that Volvo's CEO Stefan Jacoby said that the five-door model will be named V40 (and not V30 as it was rumored) and it will receive its world premiere at the 2012 Geneva Salon next March.

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Volvo Offers Factory-Backed Polestar Performance Kits in the USA

You know that the world is changing when a carmaker like Volvo, once the staple of doctors and soccer moms, which cherished the brand's safe and square (in both meanings of the word) station wagon models, starts engaging in “factory-authorized” tuning for some of its models.

Volvo North America announced that its Sweden-based, long-time tuning partner Polestar, maker of the one-off 405HP AWD C30 and 330HP S60 performance concepts, has developed software upgrades for the 2008MY and later C30, C70 and S40 models equipped with the five-cylinder turbocharged gasoline T5 engine.

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Volvo Releases Videos Documenting the Development of the C30 Electric

Almost every carmaker already has, or is currently developing, at least one electric vehicle in its range. Volvo is part of that group and it has been testing its C30 Electric since autumn of 2010.

In June, the compact all-electric Volvo entered production –albeit at a limited rate, since it will be available for leasing only to a select number of European buyers.

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U SPY: 2014 Volvo V30 Scooped on Film as Well

Carscoop commentator Paul tipped us off about a short video he took of a 2014 Volvo V30 prototype that he discovered at a McDonalds parking lot in the Dutch city of Oldenzaal. And yes, it's the same test car we showed you on Wednesday in our scoop pictures.

As a refresher for those of you that missed our previous story, the V30 is the five-door version of the next generation C30. It is expected to launch within the next two years providing the Swedish firm with direct rival to the Audi A3 Sportback and its kind in the premium hatchback category.

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SPIED: New Volvo V30 5-Door Hatchback Spotted Hanging Around a Parking Lot

Our spies caught up with a five-door prototype version of the next generation C30 in one of the least expected places: a McDonald's parking lot in Amsterdam, Holland. It seems that the Volvo engineers were taking a break, leaving our photographers a small window to take a few shots.

The five-door version of the C30 hatchback will likely carry the V30 nameplate and will go against the likes of the Audi A3 Sportback and the new BMW 1-Series.

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Volvo and Siemens Form Partnership for Electric Vehicle Development

Volvo Car Corporation and Siemens, Europe's largest engineering company, will join forces for the development of electric vehicles through an extensive strategic cooperation.

The partnership between the two companies will focus on electric drive technology, power electronics, charging technology and the integration of all those systems in Volvo’s existing C30 Electric project.

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Volvo Celebrates the 10th Anniversary of its Pioneering SCC Study

Most concepts presented at motor shows remain just that: a stylistic exercise by the automaker’s designers, a “what if” proposal, a flight of fancy. At best, a few of them make it into production, mostly in a much more conventional form. But as with every rule, there are always an exception.

Volvo’s SCC Concept is one such example. Presented at the 2001 Detroit Motor Show, the Swedish carmaker’s Safety Concept Car was more than just a glimpse into the future or the main inspiration behind the C30’s design: it was the car that, above any other, influenced Volvo’s technological advances.

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Volvo to Extend Driving Range of its EVs by Going the Way of the Chevy Volt

Electric Vehicles, or EVs, are the future. Or so the automakers say. And they would be correct, if it wasn’t for a significant disadvantage over petrol or diesel powered models: their abysmal range which makes them suitable only for limited city use.

Volvo is taking measures to solve this problem and make its EVs attractive to the public by adding an extra 1,000 km (621 miles) to their range. The solution, which has also been adopted by other models such as the Chevrolet Volt and the Audi A1 E-Tron concept, is the addition of a “range extender” internal combustion engine.

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Volvo’s Pure Electric C30 Enters Production

Volvo is starting production of the all electric version of its compact-size hatchback which, unsurprisingly, is named the C30 Electric. After testing about 50 cars since autumn 2010, mainly internally, the Swedish automaker plans to build about 250 cars by the end of 2012 (or more if there is enough interest), which will be leased in a number of European countries, including Sweden, Norway, Belgium and the Netherlands. Read more »

Volvo C30 Electric Undergoes Harsh Winter Testing in the Extreme North

One of the major fears consumers have regarding electric vehicles, besides range anxiety, is how these cars are going to function in rough weather conditions. We all know batteries are sensitive to extreme temperatures, which can affect their capacity of storing electricity.

This is why Volvo is trying out its C30 Electric model in the north of Sweden, inside the Arctic Circle. Temperatures as low as -20 degrees Celsius are something normal in this part of the world, so Volvo engineers want to ensure the battery-powered car runs smoothly even in harsh environments.

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WTCC Debut in Brazil for Polestar Racing’s Volvo C30 DRIVe

The Polestar Racing prepared Volvo C30 DRIVe will make its premiere at the FIA World Touring Car Championship [WTCC] in the opening round of the 2011 season at Curitiba in Brazil this weekend. Polestar’s factory-backed C30 has already competed in the Swedish and Scandinavian Touring Car Championships, but being that the WTCC is a different beast altogether, the company said that it will not race to win this year, but to further develop the car for the 2012 season.

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Volvo Reduces Price of Entry-Level C30 to £15k in the UK

There’s less to pay for UK buyers looking to get into a Volvo C30 sport hatch as the Swedish automaker announced a significant £1,300 price cut to the entry-level model which now starts from £14,995 on the road. The C30 ES features a 2.0-liter petrol engine with 145HP and comes equipped with electronic climate control, 16-inch alloys, leather steering wheel and gearlever, a stability system (DSTC), power windows, information centre, and a CD player with auxiliary input.

In the UK, the C30 is available with a variety of petrol and diesel engines ranging from the 145HP 2.0-liter petrol to the 230HP T5 and 115HP D2 to the 177HP D4, as well as a choice of trim levels including the sporty R-Design.

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Volvo wants in on the EV Business, Starts Developing C30 DRIVe Electric with Fuel-Cell Range Extender

With even the likes of Porsche going green – not to mention the Chevrolet Volt or the Nissan Leaf, it's no surprise that Volvo wants a piece of the "Look at me, I'm saving the planet!" action.

They partnered up with Powercell Sweden AB (with backing from the Swedish Energy Agency) and hope that the Volvo C30 DRIVe Electric will be ready for testing on the road by 2012.

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Worldwide Recall for 2010-2011MY Volvo C30, S40 and V50

Volvo announced on Monday that it will recall 29,299 cars worldwide of which 536 were sold in the USA and around 6,700 in Britain, over a problem with the gearshift lever. The cars in question are certain 2010-2011MY C30s and 2010MY S40 and V50 models equipped with 6 speed manual transmissions.

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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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Volvo Shows C30 Polestar Performance Concept with 405HP

This is the first official photograph of the Volvo C30 Polestar Performance concept that was revealed today at the Gothenburg Motor Show (22-25 April, 2010). The hot hatch was developed in cooperation with Volvo's racing partner, Polestar Performance, as a road car version of their C30 racer.

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Volvo Unleashes New C30 STCC Racer [with Video]

Volvo and its motorsports partner Polestar will begin this year's Swedish Touring Car Championship (STCC) season on 24 April at Jyllandsringen in Denmark with an updated version of their ethanol-powered C30 racer based on the facelifted production model.

The new race car gets a revised front end which is longer, lower and wider, with the Swedish automaker claiming that the new design delivers a higher ground pressure at the front, and an improved airflow right around the vehicle.

Cars

Volvo's Racing Partner Teases C30 Concept with AWD and 400HP

Volvo has teamed up with its racing partner 'Polestar Performance', which handles the firm's championship-winning Swedish Touring Car Team, to develop the C30 Performance Concept Prototype.

The idea behind the project is to create the ultimate C30 without being halted by specific race regulations. The concept includes a 400-horsepower engine, all-wheel-drive, and aerodynamics based on Polestar's race car data.

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