#SwedishCars

To celebrate the occasion, Volvo president and CEO Stefan Jacoby will join Volvo Group president and CEO Olof Persson to drive a restored ÖV4 past the Lundby factory gates once more to commemorate the company’s history.

Standing toe-to-toe with Bugatti Veyron, the Koenigsegg is harder to pronounce, lesser known, and more exclusive, arguably making this small Swedish carmaker the definitive supercar marque, full stop.

Continuing to raise the bar, the latest 2013 Koenigsegg Agera R now boasts an output of 1,140-hp. Since last September, Koenigsegg claimed a number of new production records, reaching 200 mph from a stand-still in 17.68 seconds, braking to a stop from 200 mph in 7.28 seconds, and finally a full cycle 0-200-0 mph run in 24.96 seconds. While the Bugatti Veyron Supersport holds the top-speed title at 268 mph, the Agera R sprints from 0-300 kmh (186 mph) more than 2 seconds quicker than the Bugatti. Mind-boggling numbers on paper, but what does that mean in real life?

From the Nurburgring pit lane access at Dottinger Hohe, the very end of a 2.2 mile long straight, a track-side fan records a top speed fly-by and receives a serious case of whiplash in the process, as the screaming 5.0-liter twin turbo V8 engine propels the Agera R to an insane 249.5 mph at the end of the straight.

The violent 250 mph pass is shown at the 1:40 mark. Hold onto your butts and check out the video below:

Since Saab‘s bankruptcy, multiple automakers and outfits have expressed interest in purchasing the Swedish marque albeit no deals were sealed. As for Saab Cars North America (SCNA), the distribution company continues its fight against an involuntary bankruptcy filing in Delaware by its dealers and is working to move the case to Michigan.

Despite the demise of the Saab automaker, racing team Tidö and Flash Engineering are hard at work developing and performing shakedown tests on their new Saab 9-3 TTA race car that will compete in the Swedish Racing Elite League.

Batteries and cold climates often don’t mix well. Anyone who has tried to operate an electric device, like a camera that has been sitting in the cold, will soon find that the batteries have lost their charge.

This sort of issue isn’t catastrophic with a small device, just a little inconvenient. The same can’t be said about a car, which has to work in all climates.

Volvo currently allows select customers to lease the C30 Electric and worked hard to ensure that not only the car will work in cold climates, but also the car can generate heat to make its occupants feel more comfortable.

To prove what its car has achieved, the company staged an event in Finland to show what the C30 Electric can do.

The test started by placing the car in a cold climate chamber, which kept the car at a steady -13 degrees Fahrenheit.

Not only did the cars start, but they were also able to warm up very quickly because of its separately-fueled heating system. The C30 Electric has three heaters, an electric immersion heater, an electric PTC heater, and a fuel operated heater that runs on ethanol.

The testers on hand were very impressed, not only with the way the car drove in icy conditions, but also how quickly the heaters warmed up the car. You can watch the video after the jump:

Despite the tragic demise of the Saab brand, former Saab CEO Victor Muller isn’t going to quit just yet.

Swedish supercar manufacturer Koenigsegg makes really cool cars, there isn’t any arguing about it. The company uses so much carbon fiber in its cars that even the wheels, which are hollow, are made of the stuff on the higher-end Agera R model.

The Volvo V40 small hatchback debuted at the Geneva Auto Show yesterday, but as we reported last week, it won’t be heading to the U.S. market.

The new  Volvo V40 might be one of the most attractive hatchbacks that you can’t have. Sorry, but that’s just how it goes. Europeans get the freedom of choice to take a fifth door in elegance, Americans don’t.

Swedish automaker Saab is attracting more interest dead than alive. The officially bankrupt automaker is in the process of liquidating its assets and former rivals are lining up to buy a piece of the much-talked-about but little-bought maker of quirky cars.

Nails just keep dropping in Saab‘s coffin, despite Chinese company Youngman’s attempts to sway the tide otherwise.

Volvo has long been recognized for its boxiness and its Swedish sensibilities but it wasn’t always so. For February 2012, Volvo is celebrating the 30th birthday of the original 760 GLE sedan, the car that saved the Volvo Car Corporation.

A major step towards self-driving cars, Volvo has announced its first successful test of what it calls a “road train”. As a part of the SARTRE (Safe Road Trains for the Environment) project, a test fleet of cars fitted with special equipment becomes a caravan of sorts, bunching up behind a lead vehicle and acting as a single “attached” unit – much like a train on tracks.

Bold and ambitious, Victor Muller founded Spyker Swedish exotic sports cars before purchasing Saab, believing in its return to past glory under his leadership. Confident in his abilities, Muller’s gamble on Saab put Spyker in danger as well.

Just about 100 more Saabs will roll off the line after the Swedish automaker decided to send some employees back to finish incomplete units still standing in the factory.