2011 Volvo S60: First Look

Volvo released the first two images of the all-new S60 sedan today. An additional shot is below. The company will debut the new sedan at the Geneva Motor Show next March, so folks who are heading to the L.A., Detroit and Chicago auto shows this season will unfortunately miss out on it.

The new S60 sports Volvo’s new corporate face that was first used on the XC60 crossover; it will find its way to the S40 and C70 in 2010. The new S60 goes into production next summer in Belgium, and Volvo says it should be on sale in the U.S. in late Summer 2010.

Luxury Car Sales Rebound in September

Do you ever watch the business news and wonder who’s making money in the stock market when most people you know are cutting back? Inexplicably, luxury automakers saw sales bounce back in September.

While sales of Toyota were down 19% in September, Lexus saw sales go up 7%; that’s mostly because of the new RX crossover, which had an uptick of 70%.

Ford sales were down 6%, but sales at its Swedish Volvo brand were up 16%, thanks largely to the new XC60 crossover.

With relatively no new models in its lineup, BMW sales were up 3%.

Even at GM where sales were down 45%, Cadillac sales were down just 8% because of swift sales of the redesigned SRX crossover.

Volvo Says It Will Sell Plug-in Hybrids by 2012

It’s not just large auto brands like Toyota and Chevy and niche players such as Tesla announcing future plug-in hybrids. Today, Volvo announced it would start selling plug-ins by 2012 and showed off a V70 Plug-in Hybrid as an example of the technology at work.

An interesting aspect of the V70 is its two ports for charging. The port in the front is for home charging and the rear port is for charging at fast-charge stations, which the company is also developing. They charge the car in 1.5-2.5 hours. Volvo will be testing a fleet of cars this year to see what consumers think of the experience. 

Recall Alert: 11,993 Volvo Vehicles

Volvo has issued a recall for 11,993 vehicles due to a problem with the software of the electrical system, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The recall includes the 2008-2010 S80, 2009-2010 XC70 and the new 2010 XC60.

In these models the software in the central electronic module may not send signals to the fuel pump electronic module under certain conditions. This missing signal can interfere with the start of the fuel pump. The driver might be able to start the vehicle or even drive a short distance, but then the engine may stall, which could lead to an accident.

Dealers will fix the problem by downloading new software to the vehicles’ central electronic module for free. Owners may contact Volvo at 800-458-1552 or NHTSA at 888-327-4236.

2011 Volvo C30 at Frankfurt Motor Show

• Competes with: Mini Cooper S, Volkswagen Golf/GTI 
• Looks like: The C30 got a more interesting nose to go with its distinctive tail
• Drivetrain: Turbocharged five-cylinder with 227 hp; 21/30 mpg city/highway
• Hits dealerships: First quarter 2010

Volvo's distinctive C30 coupe has been updated and will be introduced later this month at the Frankfurt Motor Show. In addition to styling changes that bring it in line with the rest of Volvo's recent models, an optional sport treatment is claimed to put it more in contention with sporty European models like the Mini Cooper S, with which it's intended to compete. It's scheduled to hit the U.S. in the first quarter of 2010 and will likely be a 2011 model.

Where the C30 had — and still has — an unmistakable rear end, its nose looked more conservative, like the S40 sedan. Now it emulates bolder designs like the XC60 SUV and other models that have been restyled, like the C70 convertible — also set to debut in Frankfurt. The nose sweeps more fluidly into the hood, and the headlights extend way back into redesigned fenders. The chin spoiler is lower. The grille has the more prominent new Volvo logo, and the lower air intake is larger and optionally dressed up with an aluminum-look, non-functional skid-plate along with matching fog light bezels, side scuff plates and a rear skid-plate appliqué.

Even in C30s without the "styling kit," as it's called, there's less black plastic low on the body, and Volvo now offers several accent colors in addition to the matching body color. Though interior changes are modest, there are likewise multiple fabric and color choices, including some bright contrast colors.

Unfortunately, the U.S. will continue to get only the T5 trim level, whose 227-horsepower turbocharged five-cylinder delivers a relatively thirsty EPA-estimated 21/30 mpg. At least now the power is complemented by a new sport chassis option with a lower steering ratio and firmer springs, shock absorbers and stabilizer bars. A six-speed manual and five-speed automatic are available. More photos below.

2010 Volvo C70 at Frankfurt Motor Show

• Competes with: Lexus IS, Infiniti G37
• Looks like: Volvo will be putting its new SUV design on its cars
• Drivetrain: Turbocharged five-cylinder with 227 hp, 20/29 mpg city/highway
• Hits dealerships: Late 2009

Volvo will debut a restyled C70 hardtop convertible at the Frankfurt Motor Show later this month, and it’s one of the more radical mid-cycle redesigns we’ve seen. The convertible incorporates the front-end design of the recently released XC60 SUV, and it does so surprisingly well. Cars that take on SUV attributes often don’t look as composed as the C70.

Around the back less is altered, but new LED taillights give the car a needed update and will likely wow potential buyers who are enamored with such things.

Inside, the materials have been updated, but there isn’t that much of a difference between the last generation’s overall design and this one. Doors, dash and the controls in the center stack all seem to be the same. However, new gauges and a new center console look to be a good upgrade.

With recent sportier competition from Infiniti and Lexus, Volvo was in dire need of this update. While the C70 likely won’t win in the performance category, it now has enough style to stay in the race. More photos below.

Cars.com Compares Small Luxury Crossovers

Maybe you’ve decided you want to buy a luxury car but don’t quite want to spend the money for a hulking beast of an SUV. That’s why the compact luxury crossover segment was invented. In this case, Cars.com compares two of the segment’s staples and one newcomer, as the BMW X3, Land Rover LR2 and Volvo XC60 are stacked side by side in multiple categories. Find out which was the editors’ overall pick in this Cars.comparison.

Cars.comparison: Downsized Luxury Crossovers

2009|BMW|X3

2009|Land Rover|LR2

2010|Volvo|XC60

Ford Focus, Volvo C30 Are Top Safety Picks

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has been expanding its crash tests to more and more segments. The very influential tests were recently applied to compact coupes, including the Honda Civic, Scion tC, Volco C30, Ford Focus and Chevy Cobalt. The group as a whole performed well considering the severity of the tests. None rated lower than Acceptable in front or side tests, while the Ford Focus and Volvo C30 scored top marks of Good in front, side and rear tests, earning the Top Safety Pick nod.

While the sedan version of the Civic is a Top Safety Pick, the coupe version earned an Acceptable side crash rating. This illustrates the point that safety ratings for one version of a model can’t be applied to others.

The Scion tC faired the worst, earning Acceptable front and side marks and only a Marginal in rear crash tests. You can see the full chart below, including previously tested sedan versions of the Civic, Focus and Cobalt.

Recall Alert: 17,614 Volvo Vehicles

Volvo has issued a recall for 17,614 vehicles, including the 2008-09 versions of the S80, V70 and XC70, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The recall is due to a software programming error in the fan control module for the engine cooling fan that may cause it to stop working. This can reduce air-conditioner performance and possibly even cause the engine to fail in a worst-case scenario, increasing the risk of an accident.

Dealers will replace the fan control module with a new one for free. Owners may contact Volvo at 800-458-1552 or the NHTSA vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236.

Volvo Lowers Price, Ups Mileage on Entry-Level XC60

Volvo’s compact luxury SUV receives a new model that gives shoppers a less expensive option for getting into an XC60. The new XC60 3.2 starts at $32,395 and forgoes the turbocharged six-cylinder engine and all-wheel drive of the current XC60 T6 ($37,200). The all-wheel-drive model is available with the new non-turbocharged engine and starts at $34,395.

Pricing for the new model is now in line with its competitors such as the Acura RDX ($33,895) and higher-end Volkswagen Tiguan (front-wheel-drive SEL, $30,990). The T6 is a better fit with cars like the BMW X3 ($39,700) and Land Rover LR2 ($35,375).  

The 3.2’s six-cylinder makes 235 horsepower, and it uses the same engine as Volvo’s S80 sedan. When paired with front-wheel drive, the XC60 3.2’s mileage estimates are 18/27 mpg city/highway. This is a notable improvement over the current T6 with all-wheel drive, rated at 16/22 mpg. We evaluated the T6’s mileage on one of our mileage drives where it returned the lowest numbers between its competitors — the X3 (16/23 mpg) and LR2 (15/22) — on the same drive. Mileage estimates are not currently available for the all-wheel-drive 3.2.

XC60 3.2 models include 17-inch wheels instead of the T6’s 18s, otherwise the 3.2 is comparably equipped to the more expensive T6 model. Similar Premium, Climate, Convenience, Multimedia and Technology Packages are available.   

Expert review: 2010 Volvo XC60 T6
Cars.com Mileage Challenge 4