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Volvo will limit cars to 112MPH as it explores speed-restricting tech
Volvo is nothing if not safety-conscious, and it's making clear that speed is one of its greatest concerns. The Swedish brand is limiting the top speed on all its cars to 112MPH starting with the 2021 model year. Safety technology and city infrastructure isn't enough to prevent injuries at high speeds, Volvo said. The lower limits would both address this gap and encourage better driver behavior. On top of this, it hinted at using technology to restrict speeds.
The stylish Polestar 2 takes on the Model 3 with a 275-mile range
The Polestar 1 is arguably one of the best looking modern cars out there. It's also the first and last hybrid from the electric-performance subsidiary of Volvo. Today at an event in Sweden the automaker unveiled its second car and first pure EV, the Polestar 2.
Polestar will reveal its first all-electric car on February 27th
Polestar was hyping up its first all-electric car even before its first car of any kind was ready, but now it's finally prepared to show its hand. The company has announced that it's revealing the Polestar 2 through a live online event on February 27th at 7AM Eastern. Sorry, that means no in-person looks -- it's ostensibly to "eliminate the environmental impact" of flying people in from all over the planet, which wouldn't jive with a car that's all about eco-friendliness.
The Polestar 2's infotainment system is powered by Google
Volvo's all-electric performance car brand, Polestar, tweeted out a teaser link for Google's new HMI (human machine interface) system which is expected to debut in the automaker's upcoming Polestar 2 later this year.
Volkswagen buys Volvo's connected car service
Volkswagen has made clear its ambition for unified internet services for its vehicles -- earlier this year it announced its partnership with Microsoft to build the Volkswagen Automotive Cloud. Now, it's pushing its agenda further, having acquired a controlling stake in Volvo's WirelessCar service.
Luminar and Volvo use LiDAR to figure out pedestrian activity
Trying to figure out what a vehicle or pedestrian is about to do is tough enough for human drivers. But it's something that the AI systems that end up in autonomous vehicles will have to figure out. Luminar and Volvo announced that they're closer to figuring that out using high-resolution LiDAR.
Volvo's self-driving trucks will haul limestone from a mine
Sometimes, it's the least glamorous uses of self-driving tech that can be the most important. Volvo has struck a deal that will have six of its autonomous trucks carrying limestone from a Brønnøy Kalk mine in Norway to a port roughly 3 miles away. That might not sound exciting on the surface, but the company isn't just selling the trucks and moving on. This is Volvo Trucks' very first end-to-end autonomous offering -- the mining company is paying for every metric tonne Volvo delivers. In other words, Volvo has a strong incentive to make sure its driverless tech works as promised, as it won't be paid otherwise.
Volvo (deliberately) won’t have any cars at the LA auto show
Automakers love making a big splash at auto shows, usually with swirling lights, loud dance music and a car that appears out of a smoke-filled cave. Whether it's a highly anticipated production vehicle or a concept car no one will ever get to drive, it's what these companies do. Not Volvo. Not this year, at least.
Volvo's subscription service is so popular it's running out of XC40s
Volvo made it clear back in June that its Care by Volvo subscription service was going to be a big hit. Now, it's got the stats to back it up: in just four months the company has sold as many subscriptions as it originally anticipated selling in the scheme's first year. And if you want in on the $650 a month deal for the XC40, you'll probably be waiting until next year for your vehicle to be delivered. It'll be a challenge getting ahold of it via traditional means, too, as Volvo has pinched the supply of XC40s going to dealerships.
Volvo and Baidu team up to build self-driving cars for China
It's not just Ford that's working with Baidu to develop self-driving cars for the Chinese market -- Volvo has also revealed its team-up with the tech giant. While Ford announced the partnership earlier, the Swedish luxury automaker says it's the "first foreign car maker to collaborate this closely with Baidu" when it comes to autonomous vehicles. The two companies will pool their resources to create and mass produce electric and fully autonomous vehicles when the time comes: Volvo will be in charge of developing the cars themselves, which will be powered by Baidu's Apollo autonomous driving platform.
Volvo is betting big on mobile to push its car subscription service
The Volvo S60 will be the second car the automaker will "lease" via its Care by Volvo subscription service when it lands in showrooms in the next few months. But it turns out, that half the folks that flocked to subscribe to the XC40 didn't walk into dealerships. They "bought" the small SUV via their phones.
Volvo surprises with its stylish and quick S60 sedan
When you mention safety and cars, most folks bring up Volvo. For decades, safety wasn't (as the kids say) cool. But in a world with increasing amounts of cars on the road in dense urban areas teaming with motorcycles, bicyclists, pedestrians and fearless raccoons, having a car that aims to protect everyone is now the coolest thing you can have on the road.
Volvo's autonomous concept car is about more than commuting
Autonomous vehicles are supposed to make our daily commutes more pleasant and potentially quicker. But Volvo wants to take that idea a step further with its 360c concept vehicle. Unveiled at its Gothenburg, Sweden headquarters, the automaker envisions a world where cars become mobile offices, sleep quarters and even a way to skip the airport for short trips.
Polestar wants to change almost everything about how you own a car
Two older gentlemen walk up the stairs of the Polestar booth at Pebble Beach. "What is this?" one asks the other as they marvel at the design. An employee walks up and explains that the Polestar 1 is the automaker's first car. A hybrid that'll be the last vehicle the company builds with a gas engine. They take photos and continue to chat with the representative. I watch it happen again and again. People unaware of the car and company stopping by to look at a very beautiful car. It's great for Polestar for people to learn about its vehicle at an event, but it's also a problem.
Tesla hires key Volvo designer to style future EVs
If you feel that Tesla needs to shake up the increasingly familiar design of its electric cars, you might be in for a treat. Auto Express and Electrek have learned that Tesla recently hired Ian Kettle, the former Volvo designer who led exterior work on the XC40. He started as a senior designer at Tesla "a few weeks ago," according to AE, and reports to chief designer (and former Mazda man) Franz von Holzhausen.
Volvo's all-electric Polestar 2 will go up against the Model 3
Now that Polestar's first car (and its only hybrid car) is out the door, what's it going to do for the purely electric follow-up? Give Tesla's Model 3 a run for the money, apparently. Chief operating officer Jonathan Goodman told Autocar in a recent interview that the Polestar 2 would have the kind of performance and pricing that might have some Model 3 buyers reconsidering their life choices. The upcoming EV would cost between £30,000 to £50,000 (about $39,400 to $65,700) with as much as 400 brake horsepower and a 350-mile range. And that last figure is for the starter model -- you wouldn't have to pay a premium for long-distance driving like you do for its Tesla rival.
Volvo's new brand is devoted to app-based car services
Volvo is launching another spinoff brand, but this time it's not about convincing you to buy a car... in fact, it might wean you off ownership altogether. The Swedish automaker has unveiled M, a badge devoted to "rethinking traditional car ownership" with an "intuitive app." Details of what that involves are unsurprisingly vague. However, M is developing "proprietary learning technology" that gauges your specific needs instead of simply telling you where to pick up a car -- in other words, a smarter form of car sharing.
Volvo's new self-driving tech could let you sleep during your commute
Volvo has a new goal with its popular XC90 crossover SUV: to make commuting a semi-automatic process thanks to level 4 self-driving technology. The Senior Vice President of Volvo, Henrik Green, told The Car Connection that the XC90 would be able to self-navigate "sleeping passengers" on a limited set of roadways thanks to a technology called Highway Assist. Currently, Pilot Assist is available in current XC90 models. Green envisions having this tech available to consumers in 2021.
Volvo’s new US-made S60 sedan will be available via subscription
Volvo's new S60 sedan marks a bit of a sea change for the automaker: It's its first of its vehicles not to have a diesel variant, the first manufactured in the United States and the third to be included in the company's car subscription service. Given its commitment to release any new models after 2019 only in EV or hybrid, and half its sales electric by 2025, the S60 may be how Volvo vehicles are released going forward.
Care by Volvo XC40 delays are a sign of things to come
Care by Volvo is an affordable and convenient subscription service. For $600 a month you get a $35,000 car but essentially only pay for gas for two years. It sounds great. It sounded so great, in fact, that at launch a lot of people signed up. Way more than Volvo expected. That, along with some regulatory issues has caused delays in the delivery of those cars. It's a new problem, but not one that'll go away anytime soon as the industry transitions from how we buy cars to a future where we subscribe, rent, share or whatever.
