Volvo has been teasing what appeared to be a new car announcement, but it turns out that it was teasing a new music video from DJ trio Swedish House Mafia that features the new Volvo XC60.

“We found a great connection in our joint Scandinavian roots and have built the project around this.” said Per Carleö, Marketing Manager at Volvo Cars. The new video will be the leading theme in Volvo’s upcoming global launch campaign for the XC60.

SEE ALSO: Volvo XC60 Revealed at 2013 Geneva Motor Show

The XC60 is a small crossover that Volvo says is focused on utility, and getting out of the city for an adventure. The Swedish House Mafia song, Leave the World Behind, is said to represent both the XC60′s nature as well as the group’s exiting the music scene, as they performed together for the last time at the Ultra Music Festival in Miami on March 24, 2013.

The campaign and music video kicks off today at 2:30 p.m. Check back for the updated post later today.

GALLERY: Volvo XC60 with Swedish House Mafia

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The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) is growing closer to calling for laws making automatic braking systems in cars mandatory. 

Automatic braking systems use radar and cameras to monitor what is ahead of the vehicle, and will operate the brakes if a collision is deemed imminent.

Some companies, such as Volvo and Mercedes-Benz, already offer these types of systems, which NHTSA says save lives. In a study undertaken by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, people put in insurance claims 16 percent less often for S60 sedans equipped with the feature when compared to other mid-size luxury sedans.

In 2011, NHTSA ordered automakers to install electronic stability control on every single vehicle, and it looks as though automatic braking systems will be next.

[Source: Automotive News]

Volvo released a mystery teaser today revealing that something new, likely a new XC90, will be revealed in two days on May 17. 

Based on the timing, it seems like this teaser must be for the new XC90, which is due for a full redesign. Volvo did update the XC90 in 2013, but the changes were minimal.

The new XC90 will be based on the companies new scalable platform architecture, a setup which will also carry the next generation S60, V70, XC60 and S80. One of the brand’s new four-cylinder engines is almost assured to find its way under the hood linked to an eight-speed transmission, while diesel and hybrid power are both possible options for the new XC90.

SEE ALSO: Volvo XC90 Spy Photos

Design wise, the XC90 is expected to take its influence from the Volvo You Concept, which has foreshadowed the redesign for many of Volvo’s newer models.  Early design sketches (seen above) have already been released by the brand, showing off some of the new styling cues the XC90 will take.

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Volvo has announced that a new group of engines has started production, ready to be used in cars as early as this fall.

The new four-cylinder engines are developed and produced in house at Volvo, and are expected to deliver better performance than today’s six-cylinder units, while offering lower fuel consumption than the current crop of four-cylinder motors. The engine family, dubbed the new Volvo Engine Architecture (VEA) are all built on the same line, in an effort to higher efficiency production

“This marks a milestone in Volvo Cars’ history. With our new engine family we are focusing on two additional vital properties – driving pleasure and fuel efficiency,” says Derek Crabb, Vice President Powertrain Engineering. “During the development, the starting point was our customers and what we wanted to offer them in regard to good fuel economy, low environmental impact and immense driving pleasure at an attractive price.”

The new engines will be seen in cars as early as this fall. Expect them to be in the Volvo S60, V60, XC60, V70, XC70 and S80. The new family of engines is expected in both diesel and gas versions, as well as electric-hybrid variants.

Earlier this year at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, Spyker unveiled its B6 Venator concept, and now a top-down variant will be revealed before the end of the year.

The B6 Venator is a compact, two-door, mid-engine sports car powered by a transverse-mounted V6 boasting at least 375 hp. It’s built on an all-aluminum chassis and thanks to plenty of carbon fiber on its body, the sports car weighs in at a scant 3,086 pounds.

SEE ALSO: Spyker B6 Venator Concept Revealed with 375+ HP V6

In the midst of a press release announcing its financial figures and business plan, the automaker revealed that a convertible B6 Venator will be unveiled “later this year” and mentioned that the launch of the B6 will mark the beginning of a new era for the brand. The B6 is scheduled to go into production starting next year while US-bound models will start later in fall 2014.

What does “later this year” mean? Probably the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show in September.

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Volvo is working on a car sized to rival the Volkswagen Golf that will come as both a hatchback and a sedan.

According to Automobile magazine, the Swedish maker has begun development in partnership with Chinese parent company Geely. The car will not ride on its Scalable Platform Architecture (SPA), which apparently can’t be crunched down further than the V40.

Instead, the two makers are working on a new architecture that will rival cars sized like the Golf — although that seems strange because the V40 really is sized similarly to the Golf. In fact, the Volvo’s wheelbase is about 0.4 inches longer.

SEE ALSO: Volvo Flagship Sedan Not Coming: CEO Says

Meanwhile, it sounds like SPA will underpin the V40 at the small end. A new XC40 is also apparently on the way. Automobile also reported that an S90 will be built, although brand boss Hakan Samuelson said last month that the brand will not build a flagship to compete with cars like the BMW 7 Series, due in large part to the segment’s large engine status quo.

[Source: Automobile]

Volvo has completed testing of new kinetic flywheel technology that the brand claims can improve fuel economy by up to 25 percent. 

“The testing of this complete experimental system for kinetic energy recovery was carried out during 2012,” says Derek Crabb, VP of Powertrain Engineering at Volvo Car Group. “The results show that this technology combined with a four-cylinder turbo engine has the potential to reduce fuel consumption by up to 25 per cent compared with a six-cylinder turbo engine at a comparable performance level,” said Crabb.

The system is known as Flywheel Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS), and is fitted to the rear axle to capture the power of the car when under braking. When the brakes are used, the combustion engine is shut off and a carbon-fiber flywheel is spun at up to 60,000 rpm in a vacuum to reduce friction. The power generated is then transferred back to drive axle when the driver accelerates using a special transmission.

“The flywheel’s stored energy is sufficient to power the car for short periods. This has a major impact on fuel consumption. Our calculations indicate that it will be possible to turn off the combustion engine about half the time when driving according to the official New European Driving Cycle,” explains Derek Crabb.

The setup is especially efficient in the city, or when the vehicle is constantly starting and stopping. When operated in conjunction with the combustion engine, the KERS system can also boost max hp by about 80, shaving seconds off any car’s 0-60 mph time.

 Discuss this story at volvoforum.com

Volvo is preparing the C30 EV for launch in Europe, and the brand announced today that thanks to its quick charger, the car can be fully juiced up in just 1.5 hours. 

Developed in partnership with Siemens, the new 22 kW fast-charger is fitted inside the car, and is designed to use a three-phase outlet for quick charging times. When hooked up to a regular European 230V power supply, the C30 EV still takes 8-10 hours to fully fill up with power.

“Adding the innovative fast charging solution will radically improve the time and mileage for the daily usage of the car. This will drastically improve the cost of ownership since the customer will now be able to drive many low cost kilometers per day,” says Lennart Stegland,VP of electric propulsion systems at Volvo. “Even a quick 10-minute plug-in adds power for another 20 kilometres of driving,” he finished.

The car is powered by a 120-hp electric motor, that motivates the C30 EV from 0 to 70 kph (43 mph) in 5.9 seconds, a seemingly random measure of speed in America, which must mean something in Sweden.

Starting in the summer of 2013, Volvo will begin leasing a fleet of 100 C30 EVs to European customers, and will begin taking feedback on the technology which the brand hopes to implement in a future series production vehicle.

Discuss this story at volvoforum.com

Volvo won’t build a flagship sedan to compete with cars like the BMW 7 Series and says its customers wouldn’t be interested in a segment where V8 and V12 engines are the norm. 

Rumblings of such a vehicle stirred after the brand was sold by Ford to Chinese company Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., but Stefan Jacoby – then CEO – insisted it would be an incongruous product for Volvo. But Hakan Samuelson, the current CEO, replaced him after Jaocby suffered a mild stroke last year. Despite that, it doesn’t seem as if the attitude toward large luxury has changed.

Instead the brand unveiled its V40 hatchback over the weekend, which debuted in Europe in 2012 and will be sold in China later this year.

Volvo is honing its focus on the Chinese market as are many other European luxury brands.

It and Geely are co-developing a compact car platform, which is China’s largest market segment. Meanwhile, Volvo is also increasing its retail presence from 150 stores to about 250 over the next couple of years.

Ambitious as it may seem, the brand is also still aiming to reach 200,000 unit sales in the country by 2015, despite being on a sales downswing last year with about 42,000 units sold.

[Source: Automotive News]

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Pack your things and head Down Under if owning a Volvo S60 Polestar is really important to you – it might be your only chance. 

That’s because a production version of the crazy 508-hp, six-cylinder concept is being released exclusively in Australia for a trial period. But before you go booking a one way ticket to Brisbane, it’s far less potent than the concept. Instead, you’re looking at a 350-hp version of Volvo’s turbocharged six-cylinder engine, capable of roughly 370 lb-ft of torque.

“We have built a car that we, as car enthusiasts, want to drive,” Christian Dahl, managing director of Polestar said. ”This is a driver’s car, bringing out the very best of the already competent Volvo S60 chassis with our experience and technology from motorsport.”

SEE ALSO: Volvo S60 Polestar Performance Concept Packs 508-HP

Aside from the engine, Volvo’s new performance sedan borrows equipment from Polestar race cars including larger brakes, Öhlins dampers and a specially-tuned S60 chassis.

The car also gets aerodynamic enhancements including a front splitter, rear spoiler and diffuser. Volvo says the car can reach 62 mph (100 km/h) in 4.9 seconds using a Polestar-tuned six-speed automatic transmission, launch control and all-wheel drive, although it’s electronic limiter won’t let you exceed 155 mph.

Volvo says the limited Australian production run will serve as a pilot project to determine if the car will reach other markets.

GALLERY: Volvo S60 Polestar production car

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Costco has teamed up with Volvo  to allow members to purchase or lease models from its Auto Program.

“Over the years, the Costco Auto Program has proven to be an excellent promotion to offer exclusive pricing and great value to all Costco members,” said Tassos Panas, vice president, marketing and product planning, Volvo Cars of North America. “This year, we are expanding the offer to include our entire lineup, allowing members to select whichever new Volvo best fits their needs and lifestyle.”

The Volvo Limited-Time Offer will extend Volvo Employee Pricing to Costco members and complements the deal with a $500 Costco Cash Card for completing a Costco Auto Program satisfaction survey after purchasing or leasing an eligible 2013 or 2014 model year Volvo.

Costco has joined forces with Volvo six times to bring exclusive offers to members, but the current promotion is the first to include the entire lineup from the Swedish automaker.

Members will essentially receive Volvo Employee Pricing on all 2013 and 2014 model Volvos, with an additional $750 off for 2013 models. To qualify, the Costco member must first register to participate and then purchase, lease, or factory order an eligible vehicle between April 12, 2013 and July 31, 2013.

Discuss this story at VolvoForum.com

Volvo is introducing new fuel injection technology which is set to make its four-cylinder diesel engines more efficient than ever.

“We will create smaller, more intelligent engines with so much power that they will turn V8s into dinosaurs,” said Derek Crabb, VP of powertrain engineering at Volvo Car Group.

In autumn 2013, Volvo is introducing its Volvo Engine Architecture (VEA) engine family, that uses new individual pressure feedback sensors on each cylinder know as i-ART.  These sensors will continuously measure pressure in each cylinder and adapt fuel injection per combustion individually, rather than work on a common sensor as these diesel engines do now.

Along with the new engine tech, Volvo’s VEA family of engines will be hooked up to a new eight-speed automatic transmission.

“Our four-cylinder engines will offer higher performance than today’s six-cylinder units and lower fuel consumption than the current four-cylinder generation. On top of that, electrification will bring us up into power figures in today’s V8-territory,” Crabb said.

GALLERY: Volvo VEA Engines