2008 Volvo Xc90 Awd 3.2l Black Sunroof 17 In Wheels 7 Passenger Auxiliary on 2040-cars

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Volvo fires up S60 and V60 Polestar production

We were pretty smitten with the Volvo S60 and V60 Polestar models during our First Drive in Sweden a few months ago. We especially loved the way that its Öhlins adjustable dampers offered a perfect balance between suppleness and sporty handling. Now, the rest of the world will finally be getting the chance to take the Polestar models for a spin because Volvo is shipping out the first units of the limited-edition vehicles.
Their completion marks the first time ever that Polestar-tuned models have come off the line at Volvo's Torslanda factory. However, production of the 350-horsepower hatchback and sedan is very limited. Volvo is building a total of just 750 of them for the world market, and the US is only getting 80 wagons and 40 sedans.
In addition to the cutting-edge dampers and more powerful engine, both Polestar models benefit from a rear-biased all-wheel-drive system routed through a six-speed automatic with paddle shifters and launch control. Six-piston Brembo calipers bring things to a halt, and the limited models get unique front and rear fascias and 20-inch wheels. These are two very hot Swedes, and if rumors are right, then there are even more tuned Volvos from Polestar on the way. Scroll down to read the full announcement.

Genesis cars win accolades, offer value — so why are sales so bad?

My high-school buddy Brent Cormier was so smitten with the Genesis G80 when he saw it at an event I hosted at SXSW in 2016 he bought a used 2013 Hyundai Genesis a short time later and fell in love with the car. "It surpasses my every expectation," said Cormier, a self-described "renaissance man" who owns and runs a real estate agency with his wife Laura, is a food service executive chef and part owner of Austin-based Thin the Herd Guitars. "I was locked into Mercedes and Audi for 10 years," he added. "And felt trapped in an endless pit of maintenance costs." After owning the Genesis over the past two years — including using it as an Uber and Lyft driver to earn extra cash — Cormier learned what some frugal luxury sedan buyers and a handful of car reviewers have discovered: Genesis offers great bang for the buck compared to other premium brands and can compete with the best in terms of performance, features and comfort. Hyundai's luxury brand also earned a prominent third-party endorsement last week when for the first time Genesis topped J.D. Power's 2018 APEAL study, surpassing German luxury-performance icon Porsche. The APEAL study (which stands for Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout) "measures owners' emotional attachment and level of excitement across 77 attributes," ranging from performance to comfort, and asks nearly 68,000 owners of new 2018 models to score vehicles on a 1,000-point scale. In its second year ranked as a stand-alone brand, Genesis earned an APEAL score that bumped it up 15 points to 884 and helped push it past Porsche — and past BMW, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Volvo, Cadillac, Land Rover and Lexus, in order of ranking. Last month, Genesis also topped J.D. Power's Initial Quality Survey (IQS) for the first time this year. And both its models were awarded Top Safety Pick Plus ratings by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, among 11 Plus ratings in all for Korean vehicles. Despite high J.D. Power rankings and great reviews, Genesis U.S. sales were off 50 percent for the first six months of 2018 compared to 2017, and in June Genesis sold only 796 vehicles — the first time U.S. numbers dropped below 1,000 in a month. Part of Genesis's APEAL and IQS success can be attributed to its small product lineup: just two models, the G80 and G90 sedans, with a third, the 2019 G70, launching later this year. And while those numbers may help in J.D.

2013 Volvo C30 R-Design Polestar Limited Edition [w/video]

Last Hurrah Comes and Goes In A Hurry
It isn't very often that we drive a new car that's already out of production, but that's exactly what has happened with this 2013 Volvo C30. After just five years on the North American market, the last C30 quietly rolled off the assembly line back in December. But before that happened, Volvo decided to send its compact hatchback out on a high note with a little added performance and exclusivity courtesy of this R-Design Polestar Limited Edition model.
The term "hot hatch" is admittedly tossed around a lot these days, but the combination of an R-Design styling package coupled with a good number of extra ponies under the hood should be more than enough to put the C30 in the mix with the likes of the Volkswagen GTI and its not-too-distant cousin, the Mazdaspeed3. The chief problem with the Polestar Limited Edition, though, is that it's priced against sportier all-wheel-drive compacts like the Golf R and Subaru WRX STI, so we decided to spend a week with the Polestar to see if its exclusivity and performance are enough to make up for its higher price tag.