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.

In the S80, V70, XC70 and XC60, the newly developed 2.0-litre diesel produces 163HP and 400 Nm of torque. In these models the engine is badged the D3.

In the smaller C30 hatchback, S40 sedan, V50 estate and C70 coupe cabriolet, the new 2.0L unit is available in two flavors, the D3 with 150HP and 350 Nm of torque and the D4 with 177HP and 400 Nm of torque.

All the variants of the new 2.0-liter turbodiesel can be mated to a six-speed automatic transmission or a six-speed manual gearbox.

In addition, Volvo updated its 3.0-liter six-cylinder turbocharged petrol T6 that now offers 304HP and 440 Nm of torque.

The six-cylinder 3.2-litre naturally aspirated engine has also been upgraded and features an improved crankshaft and less internal friction. It now produces 243HP and maximum torque is 320 Nm.

In order to meet US legislative requirements, Volvo also offers a PZEV (Partial Zero Emission Vehicle) variant of the same engine that produces 231HP and 300 Nm of peak torque.

Volvo Officially Drops the Top on Facelifted C70 Convertible: High-Res Photo Album and Video

Following a barrage of spy shots and leaked photos, the redesigned Volvo C70 was officially released today. As previously reported, the Swedes gave the 2010 model year a new corporate nose with softer forms that takes inspiration from the 2009 Detroit Show S60 concept car. The stylistic refresh comprises of a new front bumper, swoopy headlights, a more pronounced grille and wider fenders, all of which help to give the C70 a more aggressive stance.

"We have carefully redesigned the front and rear of the car so they harmonise more with the larger Volvo models," said Fedde Talsma, Exterior Chief Designer of Volvo Cars. "We have also increased the exclusiveness of the interior materials and trim details to enhance the feeling of luxury."

At the rear end, changes are limited to the reworked tail lights with LED lamps, the larger "Volvo" lettering on the boot and the restyled bumper. In addition, a new Flamenco Red Pearl colour has been introduced to the 2010MY range.

According to Volvo, the four-seater convertible's interior has been upgraded with a redesigned instrument panel and better quality materials.

There are no changes under the hood as the C70 will continue to be offered with the same engine line-up. Depending on the market, buyers have a choice of three gasoline units, a 2.4 with 140HP, a 2.4i delivering 170HP and the T5 with 230HP, plus two diesel engines, the 2.0D with 136HP and the D5 that makes 180HP.

Volvo said that the first C70s are expected to be in showrooms and delivered to customers in early 2010.

2010 Volvo C70 Facelift: First Official Photos go Online Ahead of Frankfurt Show

We brought you the first images of the refreshed 2010 Volvo C70, which was snapped by a Volvo forum member during a commercial shoot in Spain, back in June, but today the first official photos of the facelifted model made their way onto the internet. The most prominent change on the folding-hardtop four seater concerns the new front-end design with more organic details and softer shapes that is very similar to the S60 Concept that was reveled in Detroit this past January.

That means a prominent new front bumper arrangement with swoopy styled headlights and a wider and more pronounced grille. At the back, the facelifted C70 gains a new tail light design with LED strips, a restyled bumper and a larger 'Volvo' name on the boot lip.

From what we can tell by looking at the single press shot of the C70's interior, there don't seem to be any changes made to the convertible's cabin.

Since there's no press release, we don't know if Volvo made any changes to C70's chassis and engine range, but we suspect that it won't be long before the Swedes come out with an official announcement.

The new-look Volvo C70 will make its world debut in a couple of weeks time at the Frankfurt Motor Show and should go on sale towards the end of the year or early 2010, depending on the market.

Volvo Launches Special Edition C70 "Ice White"

It's special edition time for Volvo as the Swedish automaker has launched a new version of its four-seater C70 coupe-convertible in the UK. The C70 Ice White is priced at £24,495 OTR featuring £2,350 worth of extra equipment over the standard 2.0D S model on which it is based. Aside from the 'Ice White' finish, this C70 comes with 18-inch diamond cut alloy wheels while the interior boasts Calcite leather upholstery with black interior trim and aluminum inlays.

The standard equipment levels include Electronic Climate Control with Air Quality System (AQS), front fog lights, steering wheel mounted audio controls, electric windows and mirrors, alarm and a vehicle information centre.

The Ice White is powered by a four-cylinder 2.0D diesel engine with 136HP, which emits 161g/km CO2 and returns up to 46.3mpg UK fuel economy on the combined cycle. Options include Volvo's Powershift six-speed twin-clutch transmission gearbox for £1,400 that return ups to 44.8mpg UK and 167g/km CO2.

Volvo Produces 15 Millionth Passenger Car

Nearly 81 years after Volvo’s first passenger car, the OV4 rolled off the production line on April 14, 1927, and the Swedish premium automaker announced today (February 20) that the car number 15,000,000, a coupe-convertible Volvo C70, left its factory in Uddevalla.

In Volvo’s first year, production proceeded slowly, with a mere 297 cars being sold in 1927. No thanks to the global economic depression and Second World War, it took Volvo 23 years to build its first 100,000 cars. Today, that figure corresponds to about three months of production. Interestingly, the best-selling Volvo model ever still remains the classic 200 Series; between 1974 and 1993, 2,862,573 units were built.

SEMA 2007: Volvo C70 Caresto Edition

Volvo is brining the customized C70 Caresto which we first showed you back in April (click here), at the 2007 SEMA Show. The C70 Caresto Edition, which is inspired from the vintage-styled Caresto T6 Roadster and V8 Speedsters, shown by Volvo at the 2005 and 2006 SEMA Shows, respectively, is the work of specialist car builder and customizer Leif Tufvesson.

The Caresto edition features a new front and rear-end, a new interior, 20-inch alloy rims, sports suspension and a two-tone blue paint job. Additionally, Leif used a BSR PPC tuning system to upgrade Volvo’s five-cylinder turbo engine from 220 hp to 278 hp and torque from 320 Nm (236-lbs/ft) to 441 Nm (325-lbs/ft). -Details and images after the jump

Press Release: The Caresto V8 Speedster brings its posh new C70 cousin along to SEMA

The Caresto V8 Speedster makes a comeback at the 2007 SEMA Show in Las Vegas - accompanied by its posh cousin, the stunning Volvo C70 Caresto Edition.

"The Speedster is a dream car that few people can afford, while the new C70 is the affordable distant relative. Two very different cars, but put them next to each other and you see that they dropped from the same family-tree," says specialist car builder and customizer Leif Tufvesson.

Leif Tufvesson is one of Sweden's most skilled specialist car builders and customizers. Many of his cars have received widespread international acclaim.

He is the man who built the Caresto T6 Roadster and V8 Speedsters, shown by Volvo at the 2005 and 2006 SEMA Shows, respectively, in Las Vegas. And now Leif is back again in Vegas with the V8 Speedster - plus a refined version of the new C70 convertible.

Inspired by the Speedster, Leif has put his own personal touch to Volvo's hardtop convertible with a new front and rear, a new interior and a beautiful two-tone blue paint job.

Shared colors and design cues

"I have used a lot of the same color combinations and design cues to make the C70 an attractive cousin to the Speedster. The C70 has been exhibited at a Swedish show and it was a great success," says Leif Tufvesson. He continues:

"Thanks to its already stunning looks, the C70 was a rewarding customizing object. My job was to refine the looks and make the car more personal. The idea is that this C70 should satisfy all Volvo's functional and safety requirements. In other words, it demonstrates what an individualized C70 might look like."

Leif used a BSR PPC tuning system to give the five-cylinder turbo engine a hefty vitamin injection. Power is up from 220 hp to 278 hp and torque has increased from 320 Nm to a massive 441 Nm.

The inlet pipes are made of polished aluminum and the engine cover is made of carbon fiber. Leif also used an Optiflow sport air filter.

The V8 Speedster still shines

The Caresto V8 Speedster also shines bright on the Volvo stand at SEMA.

The V8 Speedster, a mid-engine car with an ethanol-powered Volvo V8 powerplant, initiated the playful term "Sportrod" last year when it had its premiere public outing at the 2006 SEMA show.

"Actually, it's a sports car with a design idiom that is a further development from a classic Hotrod. My idea was to build a car that was as much fun to drive as it was to look at. Since driving dynamics have never been the hallmark of traditional Hotrods, the term "Sportrod" felt pretty good," says Leif Tufvesson.

The car is designed with just this in mind - excellent roadholding with an ideal 60/40 weight distribution. The V8 Speedster is built completely of aluminum and carbon fiber and has an advanced sports-car chassis featuring Öhlin shock absorbers all round.

The interior in leather is exquisite, with a nostalgic retrospective feel. The steering wheel, instruments and gear selector come from Volvo, as do the V8 engine, the six-speed automatic transmission and the car's electrical system. The engine is tuned with the environment in mind and has been converted to run on ethanol.

Two-year project

It took Leif less than two years to build the V8 Speedster. Leif and his company Caresto, a name also sported on the grille of the car, have two objectives in building the car:

"On the one hand the aim is, of course, to sell the cars and it is my hope to build at least six V8 Speedsters and even more C70s. On the other hand it is in fact for my own enjoyment because I love building cars. It's my hobby and at the same time, it's my job."

Leif Tufvesson previously worked for the Volvo Concept Center and for six years he was responsible for the development department of Koenigsegg, the Swedish sports-car manufacturer. He now runs his own business, Caresto, in Ängelholm in southern Sweden. In 2004 he won the prestigious "Hot Rod of the Year" award from Hot Rod Magazine.

Volvo C70 "Caresto Edition" - Technical Specifications:

Body:
Front:	Entirely redesigned front where the grille has been moved down and angled back, and the area underneath is recessed and painted the same color as the grille (anthracite gray) to give the impression of a larger grille with a hungrier, leaner look. The bumper section is moved ahead and pulled down to make the car look larger and a little less abruptly cropped at the front, particularly when viewed from the side. Newly designed foglight panels in polished aluminum.
Rear:	Newly designed bottom panel that has been moved down and shaped like a venturi tunnel to create a sportier aura. The sides of the panel are shaped and tailored to follow the contours of the new exhaust tailpipes.
Chassis:	Lowering kit: 25 mm lower and 15% stiffersprings compared with the original setup.
Wheels:	Twenty-spoke aluminum wheels (20 x 8.5) specially created for this particular car. Wheel hubs painted anthracite gray or hyper-silver. Wheel rim edges in polished stainless steel.
Tires:	Pirelli P Zero Nero 245/30ZR20.
Exhaust system:	3´- 2.5´ stainless steel full-flow exhaust system, catalytic converters and silencers with Caresto-designed tailpipes.
Interior:	Interior retrimmed in chestnut brown hide with a visible coarse double-stitched seam. All panels are retrimmed. Seats retrimmed in the middle with a visible seam. Head restraints also retrimmed.
Paint:	The car is painted in Caresto Blue Pearl. The roof pillars are in silver and the roof itself is in matt metallic dark-blue.

Caresto V8 Speedster - Technical specifications:

Chassis:	Custom-built tubular steel frame with front and rear sub-frames.
Suspension:	Front: Double A-arms of polished stainless steel. Öhlin's coil-over shock absorbers, mounted inboard. Rear: Double A-arms of polished stainless steel. Öhlin's coil-over shock absorbers.
Body:	Hand-crafted aluminum. Carbon composite. Removable roof panel/hardtop.
Paint:	The car is painted in Caresto Blue Pearl.
Interior:	Interior trimmed in chestnut brown hide.
Engine:	Mid-mounted V8, 4.4 liters, Volvo B8444S.Ethanol conversion by BSR, Sweden.Power output: petrol, 315 bhp at 5850 rpm.Ethanol, 340 bhp at 5850 rpm.
Transmission:	Six-speed Geartronic automatic transaxle with sequential manual shifting.
Brakes:	Anti-lock brake system. Brembo 4-pot calipers. Ø 355 mm (14") brake discs.
Wheels:	Colorado Custom Gunnison. Dimension front: 20 x 8.5". Dimension rear: 22 x 10".
Tires:	BF Goodrich G-force. Front: 245/35/20. Rear: 295/45/22.
Fuel tank:	Aluminum. Volume: 65 liters.
Curb weight:	1200 kg (2646 lbs).