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Jaguar turns down offers to join V8 Supercars, questions AMG, Volvo participation

Rumors have swirled in recent weeks that Jaguar may be the next manufacturer to join the V8 Supercars racing series, made popular in Australia but now well-known in other parts of the world as well. Sadly, Jag's participation is not to be. In fact, it would be "insane," according to Jaguar Land Rover Asia Pacific Managing Director David Blackhall, for it to accept either of the two offers it has received to bring Jaguar into V8 Supercars.
Not only is Jaguar not interested in entering V8 Supercars, says Blackhall, it also fails to understand the recent entries from AMG and Volvo. "I don't know what it does for AMG to get flogged by a V8 Commodore week after week, but it's their brand, their issue. And the same thing will happen to Volvo to be honest."
Judging by Blackhall's statements to motoring.com.au, after not-so-serious consideration, the automaker decided the monetary commitment it would take to compete for wins would be more than any potential exposure would be worth, despite the fact that Jaguar has a 5.0-liter V8 to go along with what would seem to be a tailor-made rear-wheel-drive chassis. For what it's worth, one offer would have had Jaguar putting its name across an engine made by someone else, an option that was flatly turned down.

Volvo changes 'Iron Mark' logo to fit with the times

Volvo's first car debuted in 1927, bearing the Swedish automaker's now-famous "Iron Mark" logo of a circle with an arrow pointing to the upper right. For 73 of the 94 years since that Volvo OV 4 open carriage, the company's been represented graphically by four versions of a two-dimensional-looking logo, either a colorful oval that looks like a sandwich shop sign, or the Iron Mark logo, or just script. From 2000 to 2020, that Volvo cars trademark has changed four more times (plus once for Volvo trucks), Volvo creating three versions of a 3D-looking Iron Mark with a blue bar across the middle containing the script, and in 2020, changing the font of the script. Now that's it's 2021, it's apparently time for another overhaul. Visitors to Volvo's Facebook page realized Volvo changed its profile picture to a new and very flat version of its Iron Mark. This isn't the revolution everyone's making it out to be. When Volvo debuted its last new Iron Mark in 2015, one of the Swedish ad agencies that created it wrote, "The logo has been simplified in its purest form and conveys the brand’s vision: to be the world's most progressive and desirable premium car brand." Thing is, the agencies created two versions of the logo — one in silver with three-dimensional shading that retained the blue crossbar drawn up in 2000, and another in black and white, a solid black circle and attached arrow with a black crossbar bearing white "Volvo" script. The automaker's been using the silver, shaded version everywhere the public would see it. Seems Volvo wanted something even more "simplified in its purest form," though, so it could have simply requested a tweak to the B&W version it's been sitting on for six years.   The question, "Do you like it," probably doesn't matter, because it won't stop anyone from buying the product. Besides, the Volkswagen logo went flat in 2019, Nissan went flat in 2020 and so did BMW, except that its flat roundel is for everything but its cars, and Kia went flat this year — along with Warner Brothers, Pringles UK, and Burger King, that last company seemingly trying to win an award for being plain. Simplicity in two dimensions is the thing now. A Volvo Australia rep told Drive the rollout "will be gradual. [This week] we start by rolling out the updated identity on our main website, main social media platforms and in the new Volvo Cars mobile app.

Man convicted of spying on truck maker Scania for the Russians

STOCKHOLM — A Swedish court on Wednesday sentenced a 47-year-old man to three years in prison for spying for Russia, which involved selling secret information from truck maker Scania. The court said it had found the man guilty of acquiring and selling the secret information from the truck maker to a Russian embassy official. The court acquitted the man of similar espionage charges at Geely-owned carmaker Volvo Cars. "To be convicted of espionage, it is required that Sweden's security can be damaged if the information benefits foreign powers," the court said in a statement. "The district court has ruled that this is the case with regard to the information that the man obtained from Scania, while it has not been proven that this is the case with regard to the information from Volvo." The court statement said the man regularly received cash at his meetings with the Russian embassy official, which it considered was compensation for the information provided. The man, who has denied wrongdoing, was apprehended whilst meeting the diplomat in a restaurant, having just received 27,800 Swedish krona ($3,242). He worked as a consultant for Volvo Cars in 2016 and 2017 and for Scania in 2018 and 2019, until he was arrested. The man's lawyer said he would appeal. Scania is owned by truck maker Traton. Government/Legal Volvo Scania