1984 Volvo 240 Turbo Wagon With Many Aftermarket Parts, For Parts on 2040-cars

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Autoblog Podcast #317

Mitsubishi Mirage, Toyota thinks of beefing up US production, Marchionne on Alfa, Dart and minivans, Ford Atlas concept, Honda Gear concept
Episode #317 of the Autoblog Podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth, Jeff Ross and Michael Harley bookend the other podcast topics with a pair from the Montreal Auto Show, the Mitsubishi Mirage and Honda Gear concept, and in between we talk about Toyota building all its US-market cars stateside, Hyundai building a Nurburgring test facility, Sergio Marchionne's latest words about Alfa Romeo, Dodge Dart powertrains and the future of Chrysler vans. Some chatter about the Ford Atlas concept finishes up the meat of the 'cast and then we wrap with your questions. For those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. Keep reading for our Q&A module for you to scroll through and follow along, too. Thanks for listening!
Autoblog Podcast #317:

Volvo V90 wagon is beautiful, but it's dead in America [UPDATE]

Update: Roadshow reported that the V60 T5 variant is joining the V90 on its way out the door for the 2022 model year. However, the V60 T8 Polestar Engineered and V60 Cross Country will continue on, ensuring that the V60 nameplate does not disappear entirely from the U.S. We contacted Volvo about the news, and a spokesperson confirmed Roadshow's report. We're glad to hear that the performance variant of Volvo's V60 is sticking around, and if you want something more affordable, the lovely and lifted V60 Cross Country can check that box. The original story continues below.   Volvo, a brand practically synonymous with wagons in the U.S., is pulling the plug on one of the last great examples of the form. For Americans, at least. The beautiful and excellent Volvo V90 wagon will no longer be sold in America after the 2021 model year. Its demise was reported by Motor Trend, which didn't quote a source, so we reached out to Volvo for the official word: "Volvo will offer V90 Cross Country in MY22, but simplify the range and no longer offer the standard V90." The move has been foreshadowed for a long time, as Volvo has moved only 1,453 V90s from the car's debut in 2017 through the end of the 2020 model year. The figures don't break out the standard V90 versus the lifted V90 Cross Country, but we would bet that the V90 portion of that figure is infinitesimal.  As we've said in the past, it's a chicken-and-egg problem: The V90 wagon is available only via special order and is not marketed; you can't just walk onto a Volvo lot and choose from stock, as you can Volvo's hot-selling SUVs. Sales of the wagon have been slow for a long time, and earlier this year Volvo head honcho Hakan Samuelsson said the company would move away from wagons and into the arms of the in-demand crossovers. To be clear, the V90 Cross Country will still be available, as will the smaller V60 T8 Polestar Engineered wagon and V60 Cross Country. The loss is a gut-punch to wagon-loving enthusiasts. The V90 was universally well-reviewed, a competent and competitive car — and stunning to behold. It was a pure wagon form, unfettered by unnecessarily lifted suspensions or extra body cladding to make it appear more rugged. It handled better than its crossover cousins thanks to a lower center of gravity, and carried the torch for a long line of great wagons. We are in an arms race for taller, bulkier cars that handle worse and are indistinguishable from one another.

Volvo to add 1,300 jobs, ramp up production in Sweden

The expansion of the factory is part of an $11-billion investment Volvo's Chinese owners, Geely, are making.
Volvo Cars is adding 1,300 new jobs and ramping up production at its factory in Gothenburg, Sweden, in response to increased consumer demand for its vehicles.