2017 Volvo Xc60 T5 Inscription on 2040-cars

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Car subscription services: A slow, expensive start — but the potential is huge

Americans are used to paying for subscriptions — to magazines and cable television, for instance — but experience shows they'll cancel when the price of admission gets too high, or there are more tempting alternatives. Cord cutters ditched nearly 1.5 million pay-TV subscriptions in 2017, according to a survey by Leichtman Research Group. Cable TV started out cheap with basic offerings, and then got expensive. The auto industry's subscription offerings are new, but they're starting out costly, and not price-competitive with traditional leasing. The upside is that they take the hassle out of car ownership for busy people by letting the service take care of maintenance, insurance, licensing and taxes. And they give consumers choice, often allowing relatively painless switches between different cars in the automakers' lineup. Subscription services also point the way toward an ownership-free auto experience, and offer an easy transition to a potential world where ride- and car-sharing will be dominant. Subscriptions are here to stay, but consumers may take a while to "get" them. Lincoln's subscription service for lightly used 2015 to 2017 models, offered through the Ford-owned Canvas beginning this year, got off to a slow start. Many early subscribers canceled. Last month, Cadillac announced it would " temporarily pause" its $1,800-per-month Book subscription service for "adjustments" as of December 1. According to the Wall Street Journal, "Snags with the back-end technology used to support the service made some customer-service functions tedious and time-consuming, adding costs for the company." The challenge for automakers is to come up with a strategy that offers consumers a compelling, affordable option to regular ownership, and one that can also make a profit. I think they'll find that sweet spot, but they're not there yet. Jack Nerad, former executive editorial director at Kelley Blue Book and author of " The Complete Idiot's Guide to Buying or Leasing a Car," points out that "A lot of people expected that subscriptions would be very valuable for people who wanted inexpensive transportation, but the reality is quite the opposite. Subscriptions are offering more choices for the wealthy.

Current Volvo XC90 to live on in China?

The current, long-serving Volvo XC90 might not be going away as soon as we thought - at least not in China. According to word from CarNewsChina, the crossover's production will be moved to Daqing, China, in December and from that point on, be built at Geely's factory. The only available engine will be a 2.5-liter turbocharged five-cylinder.
According to the report, the present XC90 and the imminent next-generation model will both be sold in the market, but the Chinese-made vehicle will be positioned as a cheaper alternative. Geely will also develop a crossover of its own from the platform that should be ready in late 2015.
Volvo plans to launch the new XC90 later this year to replace the aging model, which has been on the market for over a decade. It will ride on the company's new Scaleable Product Architecture platform and will be powered by the automaker's new Drive-E four-cylinder engine family. Hybrid versions will also be available.

2022 Volvo S60 Black Edition darkens the sedan's trim

Volvo revealed the 2022 Volvo S60 Black Edition today, firmly hopping on the trend of blacking out different trim bits that countless other cars offer. The staid but handsome S60 is given a dash of attitude with this appearance package, and we like the look. Volvo says the Black Edition features glossy black paint for the grille, Volvo badge, grille slash, window trim badging and exhaust tips. Additionally, the 19-inch wheels are painted in the same shade of glossy black. You’ll have two paint options: Onyx Black Metallic or Crystal White Metallic.  All of the badging in black is a unique look for Volvo products, as weÂ’re accustomed to seeing brightwork on all of SwedenÂ’s cars these days. You can get the Black Edition for the Momentum, R-Design and Recharge (PHEV) models, so itÂ’s essentially available across the model range. It adds $700 to the purchase price, meaning a base, front-wheel-drive Momentum Black Edition costs $40,995 after destination. The S60 Black Edition is going to be built in limited quantities for the 2022 model year — Volvo says only 450 total will be produced. So if you like what you see here, best go out and snag one before theyÂ’re all spoken for. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.