2021 Volvo Xc60 T5 Momentum on 2040-cars

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Now at Costco: Bales of toilet paper and a Volvo or Pacifica to haul them

Costco, the beacon of bulk buying, where you can buy everything from gasoline to your own casket at deep discount, is offering some Costco-only incentives through its Auto Program in partnership with specific car brands: for now, Volvo and Chrysler, with other brands planned for later. First, Volvo: Now through Oct. 2, you can get both special incentives AND employee pricing (aka "A-Plan" pricing) AND whatever rebates and incentives Volvo might already have going on. The Costco incentives are: $3,000 on 2017 and 2018 S90 sedans. $750 on 2017 and 2018 S60 sedans. $750 on 2017 and 2018 V60 and V90 Cross Country wagons. $750 on 2017 and 2018 XC90 SUVs. $750 on the outgoing 2017 XC60 crossovers. Automaker incentives usually vary by region, but in the Detroit area, at least, Volvo currently has a $2,500 incentive on the 2018 XC90 and $3,500 on the 2017 model. Those end Aug. 31 but could be renewed in September, and others could be added then as well. Volvo is also offering special interest rates on financing some of the other models. And when all is said and done, if you fill out a Costco customer survey you'll get a $200 cash card. The Chrysler Pacifica deal, also through Oct. 2, is even simpler: Go to the Costco site, print out a certificate worth $1,000, and take it to a Chrysler dealership — any dealership, not just those that usually work with Costco, which is a first. The incentive covers both 2017 and 2018 models. And like the Volvo promotion, these Costco incentives can be combined with whatever Chrysler's doing — and it currently has a myriad of incentives on 2017 Pacificas, in various combinations that differ depending on whether you're leasing or buying. If you register at the Costco Auto Program website, you'll be put in touch with a dealer who can review the bottom line after all the discounts are factored in. Participating dealerships have offered special pricing to Costco members for years, up to the price automaker employees get. Costco's program doesn't typically work the way these Volvo and Chrysler programs do, though a similar joint promotion with Volvo back in 2013 sold 7,500 cars. If you haven't used the Costco Auto Program, but you don't like haggling at a dealership, you might give it a try. The beauty of it is that a dealer is obligated to offer you a set price and is also obligated to treat you by certain rules, such as not trying to upsell you. Last year, 490,000 vehicles were sold to Costco members through the program.

Volvo eying return to 100k US sales to ensure dealer profitability

Struggling Volvo may be on a verge of a renaissance thanks to the forthcoming completion of its lauded concept car trilogy, new Drive-E engine family and much-discussed SPA modular platform. Its nascent renewal is mostly being financed by $11-billion in funding from its Chinese parent company, Geely, and if it all goes right, Volvo hopes to sell 100,000 cars a year in the States by 2016. That milestone is vital, because it would ensure Volvo's US dealer network is profitable, according to Volvo CEO Håkan Samuelsson.
In a new Ward's Auto story, Samuelsson notes that his company is launching a slate of fresh products in the coming years, including the new-to-the-US V60 wagon and mid-cycle updates for its S60 sedan and XC60 crossover. But the most important new vehicle will be the recently spied XC90 that is expected to be unveiled just before the end of this year. Samuelsson is also looking at future vehicles for the US, including replacements for the S80 and V70. The V40 is also planned for the US, but not until the next generation, according to the Volvo CEO.
Of course, it's going to take a lot to reach 100,000 US sales in three years. Volvo sold just 61,233 units here in 2013, and according to WardsAuto, Volvo hasn't sold 100,000 cars in the US since 2007. To reach its goal, Volvo's stateside business will need to grow sales by about 40 percent.

Volvo S60 Polestar Concept looking Smurfy in Jay Leno's Garage

Is it just us, or has Jay Leno's Garage evolved from an intimate, off-the-cuff video series designed to show off the late-night comedian's automobile collection into something a lot more ambitious and... mainstream? This isn't a complaint, exactly, as Leno has been putting out engaging videos at an increasingly furious pace. However, we can't help but note that the subjects have largely graduated from the funnyman's steam-powered eccentricities and forgotten classics to lots of new production and concept cars, often with automaker execs in tow. It's almost as if the series is turning into an internet version of his NBC talk show, one where bigwigs swing by to show off their latest projects as part of their publicity tours, only instead of new movies and albums, it's cars or the occasional motorcycle.
Such is the exactly case with Volvo's stonking S60 Polestar Concept, which makes its appearance in Jay's warehouse of wonders this week. Tuned by in-house skunkworks Polestar, the "Swedish Racing Blue" S60 has certainly been making the rounds as of late, with recent appearances near Leno's garage at the LA Auto Show and an Auto Motor und Sport track faceoff against the BMW M3 and Audi RS4 Avant.
Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised that Volvo is so keen to get its showcar in front of the cameras - last we heard, executives were seriously considering a small production run for their unlikely 508-horsepower, all-wheel drive sport sedan, though we continue to hear that realistic pricing is likely to be a roadblock.