Category: Volvo

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VOLVO PV444

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1947 Volvo PV444

The 1950s began successfully for Volvo. For the first time since its foundation, the Company had in the PV444 a car which not only could be mass produced, but was so popular that demand greatly outstripped the available supply. Difficulties were still being experienced in obtaining supplies of materials such as sheet steel, and there was considerable uncertainty as to how the car market would develop during the period ahead. Would there be a trend towards bigger cars or would smaller cars such as the PV444 continue to be in… Read more

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VOLVO XC90: THE NEXT BIG THING IS HERE NOW

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Volvo insists this is the start of something big: ‘this’ being the XC90 luxury sports utility vehicle. The new XC90 announces the beginning of the Swedish automobile maker’s immediate future product line-up. Three years in the making and part of a $US11 billion investment program, the all-new XC90 marks the beginning of a new chapter in Volvo’s history, setting out the design direction, incorporating its own range of new technology and making use of new architecture that can be scaled up or down. Volvo Car Australia shipped in examples of… Read more

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VOLVO S60 POLESTAR: HOTTER THAN EVER

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Polestar is Volvo’s high-performance division. These Swedish rockets began as a pilot project in Australia in 2011 and the first 50 cars were all allocated to this country. That was a thank you for the work done by Australian as well as Swedish engineers and drivers. Polestar hit the ground running in the V8 Supercar series in 2014 and, despite a shaky start to this year, looks to be on the verge of a successful season in 2015. Volvo planned to develop a performance car for real life, one that… Read more

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VOLVO XC90 2003 – 2014

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2003 Volvo XC90

Never a company to rush into things unnecessarily, Volvo has had its XC90 on sale since 2002 (2003 in Australia), albeit with many significant upgrades and changes along the way. An all-new model is finally on the way and incorporates some fascinating new technology, obviously safety heads the list, but there are many other high-tech items on their way. The new XC90 is likely to lead to a rush of existing ones being traded in, so there may be a glut in used-car yards – and some good deals on… Read more

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VOLVO S80 1998 – 2013

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The Volvo S80 is the model that changed the image of the Swedish car company back in the dying years of the 20th century. Once seen as the company that built safe and square, but unexciting machines, Volvo is nowadays regarded as a style leader and it was the big S80 sedan that led the way. The Volvo S80 has attractive looks that are very much in the ‘simple but effective’ Swedish manner, particularly in the cabin. The clever thing is that the curvaceous look of the new generation Volvos… Read more

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VOLVO WORKING TOWARDS A CRASH-FREE FUTURE

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Volvo cars will soon be able to scan 360 degrees around themselves to look out for possible dangers, then act upon them

Volvo Cars has publicly stated that by 2020, no-one should be killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo. An impossible situation to our way of thinking, but most certainly a target worth aiming at. The Swedish company has brought us up to date on the many directions it is taking to work towards its ambitious plan. What Volvo calls ‘SPA’ (Scalable Platform Architecture) is aimed at offering protection in crashes. The new SPA safety cage has a mix of different steel grades and has been made stronger and smarter…. Read more

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VOLVO XC90 2002 – 2012

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2003 Volvo xc90

The Volvo XC90 is more of a people mover than true sports utility vehicle (SUV). Which makes a lot of sense these days because very few SUV buyers fall into the ‘I dream of crossing the Simpson Desert one day’ category. As it’s aimed at the family there’s a big emphasis on space and comfort inside the large Swedish wagon. The cabin sits well forward thanks to the use of a transversely mounted engine instead of the longitudinal units used by most large SUVs; thus increasing interior length in the… Read more

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2013 VOLVO V40 REVIEW

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Volvos are far more stylish now than in the past and the new V40 really excels in this important area

The all-new Volvo V40 takes the premium hatchback to a new level. As well as arguably being the most stylish Volvo for many years, it’s undoubtedly the most intelligent and safe car in its segment. Indeed it can show many far more expensive cars a thing or two in these important fields. As well as the sleek body, Scandinavian simplicity and ergonomic design abound in the Volvo V40’s cabin. The T5 we borrowed for a week had quality materials on sculpted R-Design sports seats with contrasting stitching; gearshift knob LED-illuminated… Read more