2002 Volvo S60 2.4t Sedan 4-door 2.4l on 2040-cars

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Volvo Cars picks Ember Technologies chief Jim Rowan as new CEO

Jim Rowan (Reuters)   STOCKHOLM — Volvo Car Group has appointed Jim Rowan as new chief executive to succeed longtime CEO Hakan Samuelsson in March, it said on Tuesday. Rowan, currently CEO at U.S-based Ember Technologies, is taking over just months after Volvo wrapped up its initial public offering, the biggest in Europe last year. He will face the task of steering the carmaker towards its goal to sell 50% pure electric cars by the middle of this decade and electric cars only by 2030. "Volvo Cars is going through a rapid transformation of digitalization, which is why we wanted to bring in someone with global CEO experience from outside the automotive industry," Volvo Chairperson Eric Li said in a statement. Samuelsson joined Volvo's board in 2010 and has been CEO for almost 10 years, with his contract coming to an end this year. Before joining Ember in 2021, Rowan had been CEO of Dyson. Volvo, majority owned by China's Geely Holding, said Samuelsson will stay in his role until Rowan starts in March. Samuelsson will also leave the board, while continuing as chairman of electric vehicle maker Polestar. Polestar, in which Volvo owns 49%, aims to go public through a reverse merger with special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Gores Guggenheim. The deal is expected to close in the first half of 2022.  

Daimler and Volvo could jointly develop internal combustion engines

BERLIN — Luxury German carmaker Daimler and Volvo, owned by China's Geely, are considering cooperating to cut the costs of developing combustion engines, a magazine reported on Sunday, citing unnamed company sources. The Automobilwoche weekly cited a Volvo manager as saying there were initial talks with Daimler, but no concrete plans, while a company spokesman said it was too early to talk about firm projects, although it was not excluding anybody. A Daimler spokesman said the company's cooperation with Geely, which owns a 10% stake in the German carmaker, was developing in a positive way, but declined to comment further. Global tariffs, accelerated by a trade war between China and the United States, as well as higher investment requirements for electric and autonomous vehicles, are forcing carmakers to seek new ways to cut and share costs. In October, Volvo said it would merge its engine development and manufacturing assets with those of Geely, creating a division to supply in-house brands and also potentially others with next-generation combustion and hybrid engines. Automobilwoche said this new division would start operating by the end of March, which could be a possible starting point for cooperation with Daimler, while a further step could be a partnership to develop electric power trains. Geely and Daimler have said they plan to build the next generation of Smart electric cars in China through a joint venture and the two companies are also cooperating on a premium ride-hailing service in China. Geely bought Volvo Cars in 2010 from Ford, allowing the Swedish brand to operate on an arms-length basis. But in recent years, it has deepened cooperation between the two brands. Volvo already supplies engines to some Geely-branded vehicles, sharing technology through Geely's Lynk brand. Both companies share and develop common vehicle platforms. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Volvo EX30 city car to launch next year as entry model

At the end of the presentation for the battery-electric 2023 Volvo EX90, automaker CEO Jim Rowan gave everyone a tease of a smaller model to debut next year. Sitting in the dark next to an equally dark EX90, the new model looked like a Mini Me version of the EX90 down to the chunky stance and taillight signature. There were rumblings among media that this was the new EX30. In an interview with Automotive News Europe, Rowan confirmed suspicions by calling the new small car by that name. The EX30 will take up the entry slot in the Volvo lineup, offered as part of the Care by Volvo subscription service to keep the price down for its Gen Z target market of first-time car buyers. Dimensions are unknown, but the EX30 sits on the same Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) as the new Smart #1. The Smart is 168.1 inches long, 72 inches wide, and 64.4 inches wide. Our XC40 Recharge and C40 Recharge, both sitting on Volvo's Compact Modular Architecture (CMA), are 174.8 inches long, 75.2 inches wide, and 65 inches high. Dimensions roundabout those of the Smart seem like a good starting point for the EX30's size. Staying there for a moment, the Smart packs a 66-kWh battery, one motor making 268 horsepower, and can go up to 273 miles on a charge on the WLTP cycle. Rowan said Volvo will offer a choice of batteries in the EX30 "so a customer can choose the range that best fits their lifestyle and their budget." Remember, the Honda-e sells in markets like Europe with 35-kWh battery good for a range good for about 135 miles on a charge. The CEO said these Gen Z buyers "still want top safety equipment, a fantastic ride and high quality." A lower price for a battery with a local range keeps that demographic in the loop, which also helps Volvo reach its goal of selling 1.2 million vehicles globally by 2025. That year is also important from Rowan's perspective because that's when he believes ICE vehicles and EVs will reach price parity. At the moment, the ICE XC40 starting price is $17,200 less than the XC40 Recharge. Barring further global upheavals, Rowan said, "I still think we are very much on track for price parity, because prices will come down pretty quickly when supply starts to meet demand again. In addition, we are starting to see some really interesting things when it comes to anode and cathode materials and battery chemistries such as the use of LFP (lithium iron phosphate) in certain cases.