Crystal Green on 2040-cars

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Polestar says goodbye to Volvo C30 in video tribute

The Volvo C30 was put to its eternal bed a few months ago, but the tuners at Polestar have a little more eulogizing to do. The Swedish house of speed that has raced and reworked the little hatch since its introduction in 2006 wants the world to know what they've been through together, so it has encapsulated seven years of around-the-world action into three minutes and 28 seconds of track footage and champagne.
We're still waiting on word of a replacement for the funny little hatch, and while we lament what could have been, the video below proves that the C30 provided plenty of thrills for those outside of the US. And as you can read in our recent review of the Polestar-enhanced road-going C30, it provided a decent amount of fun for those of us in the States, as well.

Geely to release models developed with Volvo in 2015

Geely and Volvo will finally team up for a jointly developed vehicle, more than three years after the safety-minded Swedish brand was gobbled up by Geely's parent company, according to a report in Automotive News Europe. The story quotes Geely's CEO, Gui Sheng Yue saying, "We have entered into actual research and development stage and I believe we can see the new product in the year after next."
That means 2015, which is a mighty ambitious timetable to bring a vehicle to market. But as Geely's CEO explains, life isn't going to get any easier in the Chinese market, "Competitive pressure on domestic brands in the China market should increase considerably in the coming years as most major international brands are strengthening their presence," he told ANE. Those statements also tell us that we shouldn't expect to see Geely on American shores any time soon. The brand is simply too focused on topping the Chinese market, at least among CDM brands.

Volvo introduces 2022 C40 Recharge crossover, announces all EV sales will be online-only

Volvo plans to become an electric car brand, with EVs making up half of sales by 2025, and all sales by 2030. Volvo has now also announced that as part of its electric future, it will move all vehicle sales to online-only, and will expand its customer services. The first car to be sold online-only will be the all-electric C40 Recharge, which the company showed off in a sneak peek during in the “Volvo Moment: Recharge” video above. The 2022 Volvo C40 Recharge is a fastback-style “crossover coupe” with an upright stance. It features a 78-kilowatt-hour battery providing 260 miles of range, according to Volvo. With electric motors front and rear, it'll do 0-62 miles per hour in 4.9 seconds. Volvo claims a 0-80% charge in 40 minutes. It will be VolvoÂ’s second car (after the XC40 Recharge) using the Google Android Automotive Operating System for its infotainment, much like that introduced on the Polestar 2. The C40 will also be completely leather-free, signaling a move away from leather for all Volvos in the future. To begin, the Volvo C40 Recharge is available for order online at Volvo Studios in New York, Milan and Tokyo. Volvo C40 Recharge View 35 Photos Along with sales going completely online, Volvo will expand its Care by Volvo program beyond vehicle subscriptions to offer a complete care package. Customers can enjoy greater convenience, with the package covering insurance, warranty, maintenance, roadside assistance and even home charging options. Volvo cars can still be custom ordered, but it will also offer a number of pre-configured packages for faster delivery of its vehicles to customers. Pricing will be pre-fixed, removing the need for haggling with a dealer and wondering if youÂ’re getting the best price for your vehicle. Dealers arenÂ’t being put out to pasture, though; Volvo says its retail partners “remain a crucial part of the customer experience and will continue to be responsible for a variety of important services such as selling, preparing, delivering and servicing cars.” Volvo intends to become fully climate neutral by 2040. To help with that, it will adopt some of the same practices as spinoff brand Polestar, by enacting full transparency in its supply chain, and using blockchain technology for sensitive raw materials like cobalt. Volvo will also perform on-the-ground audits to ensure everythingÂ’s on the up-and-up in its supply chain. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party.