2000 Volvo S80 2.9 Sedan 4-door 2.9l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Tesla poaches Volvo interior engineering boss Anders Bell

Tesla is the belle of both the eco-friendly and luxury balls. The company's Model S and Model X are status symbols, and benchmarks for the ability to blend both green credentials with performance and a luxury driving experience. That said, their cabins aren't necessarily deserving of those credentials. That's why this little news nugget is such a big deal for the California brand. Electrek reports that Tesla has poached Anders Bell from Volvo. Bell confirmed the move via his LinkedIn page. The (now former) head of interior engineering and senior director of engineering was responsible for the Swedish brand's raft of high-quality, beautifully crafted cabins. Doubtless Tesla wants a piece of the critical acclaim Volvo's received for the interior design and quality on its 90-series models – XC90, S90, and V90. The move is, at least based on Electrek's stalking of Bell's LinkedIn profile, a big loss for Volvo. Bell joined the Swedish brand fresh out of Halmstad College's engineering program in 1998 and has spent his entire career working for Gothenburg and its various owners. That included a nearly four-year stint in China after Geely bought Volvo from Ford, assisting with the Chinese launch of the XC60. Bell's listed his final project with his previous employer as "development, design, and release of Volvo interiors to be launched 2017-2018 and concept definitions of interiors 2019 and beyond." That means that while Bell started at Palo Alto this month, his impact at Volvo won't fade for several more years. Related Video: News Source: Electrek via Jalopnik Green Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Tesla Volvo volvo s90

Volvo Cars' earnings top pre-pandemic levels in boost ahead of possible IPO

STOCKHOLM — Volvo Cars reported a return to profit in the first half as demand for electric cars pushed earnings above pre-pandemic levels, putting the carmaker on a firmer footing as it considers a possible IPO this year. Sweden-based Volvo, owned by China's Geely Holding, said on Friday it made a first-half profit of 13.24 billion Swedish crowns ($1.52 billion), more than double its profit of 5.52 billion crowns in the corresponding period of 2019, before the coronavirus struck. Like several other automakers Volvo has been forced to cut production due to global shortages of semiconductors, but it said a strong market recovery from last year's plunge during the pandemic helped first-half revenue rise by 26% to 141 billion crowns. "The pandemic effect, when it comes to our business, we don't see it anymore," Chief Executive Hakan Samuelsson told Reuters. "All our employees have not been vaccinated yet, but sales and production are really back to where we were." The company, which is eyeing an initial public offering before the end of this year, said all its regions showed solid growth and improved market shares, with chargeable cars representing 25% of total sales. Samuelsson said the evaluation process ahead of a potential IPO was progressing according to plan, adding the firm was still considering listing on the Stockholm stock exchange in the second half of 2021. "The company stands stronger than ever and we are in the midst of a very substantial transformation ... It has to be financed and access to the stock market is of course positive then," Samuelsson said. Volvo Cars had been heavily affected at the start of the pandemic, plunging to a 989 million loss in the first half of 2020. The company on Friday kept its second-half outlook for flat sales and revenue growth year on year, "unless supply of semiconductors improves". It said earlier this month that first-half sales rose 41% to 380,757 cars. The Gothenburg-based firm plans to become a fully electric car maker by 2030, sell 600,000 battery electric vehicles at mid-decade, and build a European battery gigafactory in 2026. ($1 = 8.6821 Swedish crowns) (Reporting by Helena Soderpalm; editing by Niklas Pollard and Susan Fenton) Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Volvo introduces 2022 C40 Recharge crossover

Volvo brings a whole new 2014 showroom for Geneva's approval

Sometimes it takes smaller automakers a bit longer than the industry average to rotate and freshen their product lineups. Volvo has taken a big swing for the 2014 model year in that regard, and has brought along a full product portfolio of new cars.
In the main, this means that the Swedish brand has fast-tracked facelifts for its already-attractive assemblage of sedans, wagons and crossovers. Volvo mainstays S60 and S80 have both gotten appearance modifications to freshen them for dealer lots, as well as added features inside the car. We're particularly happy to report that the spirited "60 cluster" models - S60, V60, XC60 - can now be had with optional paddle shifters on new, three-spoke steering wheels.
Below you'll find a whole bunch of image galleries of the revised Volvos, live and in person from the show floor in Geneva. For a bit more background on the Volvo updates, feel free to read our original announcement of the news or scroll down to catch the press release.