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Watch this Volvo truck drive up a quarry road using hamster-powered steering

Volvo Trucks has been producing some of the most interesting and thrilling commercials around as of late, and this new one involves a live hamster. While you may wonder how could a hamster and a dump truck could be exciting, just know this ain't a Kia Soul commercial: the Swedish truck company enlists the help of a hamster named Charlie to steer an FMX construction truck up a winding road in Ourence, Spain. From the bottom of a quarry. We are not kidding you.
All we ask is that you watch the commercial below to see how it all goes down. If you like what you see, you can then check out a bonus 'behind the scenes' video and press release for details about how Volvo Trucks prepared for the stunt.

This Volvo truck is for the birds... literally

If you were mentally scarred by the Alfred Hitchcock thriller The Birds, you may not want to watch this video. For everyone else, this is a rather perplexing event. It appears that thousands of pigeons are released from a Volvo truck at the command of a whistle. It looks visually stunning, but for what purpose? Well, we're not entirely sure, but it looks to be the simultaneous release at the start of a major pigeon race.
Now, we don't suspect that Volvo has eschewed its self-titled Volvo Ocean Race for a more avian-inspired competition. We're also not quite sure where this competition is being held, but it may be an annual event, as we also found a similar video with a different MAN rig on YouTube that was posted in 2011. but if you have even the slightest case of Ornithophobia, you best steer clear of this feathered mob. Otherwise, check out the video of this massive flock on the move in the video below. We've even thrown in a video of the gas station scene from Hitchcock's 1963 classic to get you in the mood.

Volvo Cars' earnings top pre-pandemic levels in boost ahead of possible IPO

STOCKHOLM — Volvo Cars reported a return to profit in the first half as demand for electric cars pushed earnings above pre-pandemic levels, putting the carmaker on a firmer footing as it considers a possible IPO this year. Sweden-based Volvo, owned by China's Geely Holding, said on Friday it made a first-half profit of 13.24 billion Swedish crowns ($1.52 billion), more than double its profit of 5.52 billion crowns in the corresponding period of 2019, before the coronavirus struck. Like several other automakers Volvo has been forced to cut production due to global shortages of semiconductors, but it said a strong market recovery from last year's plunge during the pandemic helped first-half revenue rise by 26% to 141 billion crowns. "The pandemic effect, when it comes to our business, we don't see it anymore," Chief Executive Hakan Samuelsson told Reuters. "All our employees have not been vaccinated yet, but sales and production are really back to where we were." The company, which is eyeing an initial public offering before the end of this year, said all its regions showed solid growth and improved market shares, with chargeable cars representing 25% of total sales. Samuelsson said the evaluation process ahead of a potential IPO was progressing according to plan, adding the firm was still considering listing on the Stockholm stock exchange in the second half of 2021. "The company stands stronger than ever and we are in the midst of a very substantial transformation ... It has to be financed and access to the stock market is of course positive then," Samuelsson said. Volvo Cars had been heavily affected at the start of the pandemic, plunging to a 989 million loss in the first half of 2020. The company on Friday kept its second-half outlook for flat sales and revenue growth year on year, "unless supply of semiconductors improves". It said earlier this month that first-half sales rose 41% to 380,757 cars. The Gothenburg-based firm plans to become a fully electric car maker by 2030, sell 600,000 battery electric vehicles at mid-decade, and build a European battery gigafactory in 2026. ($1 = 8.6821 Swedish crowns) (Reporting by Helena Soderpalm; editing by Niklas Pollard and Susan Fenton) Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Volvo introduces 2022 C40 Recharge crossover