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Volvo Cars picks Ember Technologies chief Jim Rowan as new CEO

Jim Rowan (Reuters)   STOCKHOLM — Volvo Car Group has appointed Jim Rowan as new chief executive to succeed longtime CEO Hakan Samuelsson in March, it said on Tuesday. Rowan, currently CEO at U.S-based Ember Technologies, is taking over just months after Volvo wrapped up its initial public offering, the biggest in Europe last year. He will face the task of steering the carmaker towards its goal to sell 50% pure electric cars by the middle of this decade and electric cars only by 2030. "Volvo Cars is going through a rapid transformation of digitalization, which is why we wanted to bring in someone with global CEO experience from outside the automotive industry," Volvo Chairperson Eric Li said in a statement. Samuelsson joined Volvo's board in 2010 and has been CEO for almost 10 years, with his contract coming to an end this year. Before joining Ember in 2021, Rowan had been CEO of Dyson. Volvo, majority owned by China's Geely Holding, said Samuelsson will stay in his role until Rowan starts in March. Samuelsson will also leave the board, while continuing as chairman of electric vehicle maker Polestar. Polestar, in which Volvo owns 49%, aims to go public through a reverse merger with special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Gores Guggenheim. The deal is expected to close in the first half of 2022.  

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 V40 Cross Country gets the all-wheel drive it deserves

Want a rugged Volvo wagon? Gothenburg has two kinds to offer: there's the XC crossovers on the one hand and ruggedized wagons on the other. As we reported last month from the unveiling of the new XC90 in Sweden, Volvo plans on offering more Cross Country wagons in the future. But in the meantime, it has upgraded the existing V40 Cross Country with some key enhancements - not the least of which is the long-awaited addition of all-wheel drive.
Powertrain upgrades for Volvo's smallest soft-roader include the new T5 engine (a 1.7-liter turbo four producing 245 horsepower), an eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. The new powertrain is not only more capable, but also more environmentally friendly than the old T5 it replaces.
The enhanced V40 Cross Country launches in Europe mid-fall before being rolled out in other markets in the following months, but unfortunately the United States is not among them as the V40 is not offered Stateside in any configuration, which is a shame.