Volvo announced today that they plan to introduce a diesel hybrid vehicle in both the U.S. and European markets by 2012, if not sooner. Initial hybrid models will be diesel variants of Volvo’s larger line-up, like the XC-90 SUV and S80 full-size sedan. Capable of relying solely on battery power, the Volvo hybrid system will utilize a 5-cylinder turbo diesel to deliver power to the front wheels and a separate electric motor to power the rear. Despite the undesirable tendency for both diesel engines and electric motors to lack significant horsepower at high rpms, Volvo executive Less Kerseemakers says that Volvo’s current best-selling V8 engine just doing translate well into long-term success. “I don’t think there is a bright future for the V-8, especially for Volvo,” he said. “It’s the best engine we have. But if the environment is changing, you can be stubborn, or you can look for alternatives.”
In most people’s estimations, Lincoln has definitely been a neglected brand for Ford. Say “Lincoln” and the Town Car will probably be the first thing that leaps to someones mind. Especially when you consider the advances and press that GM’s Cadillac receives, those that have been waiting for similar news from Lincoln have been mostly disappointed. Well buck up Lincoln fans, the four-pointed star is back with a nice offering of luxury and style wrapped up in the form of the MKS.
Volvo’s new hybrid version of the 7700 bus was unveiled in Germany at the IAA Bus and Truck Show. While it’s not as exciting as, say, the new Volvo S40, it’s something. It’s eco-exciting… eco-citing. Lame?
Well, whatever, I think it’s interesting. This new version of Volvo’s 7700 bus will be 30% more fuel-efficient than non-hybrid models. It has a smaller 5.0L diesel engine compared to a regular 9.0L diesel Volvo 7700, but it’s built on the same platform. It’ll save on fuel costs, be able to fit more passengers, and have less emissions and vehicle noise compared to normal diesel buses.
Check out the unveiling:
In addition to filling RideLust’s daily “cool stuff” requirement, the pair of 2004 Volvo XC90’s built by LEGOLAND® California also take care of our obligatory Volvo-love too.
From Autopia: the Swedish safety moguls at Volvo are bound and determined to put an injury-proof car on the road by the year 2020. To do this, researchers are currently studying the African locusts in an attempt to integrate the little bugger’s “sensory-input routing methodologies” with Volvo’s computerized safety features. If thousands of the locusts are able to travel in swarms without constantly hitting each other, shouldn’t people during their morning commute be able to do the same thing? Volvo thinks so, and that’s why they’ve partnered with Dr. Claire Rind and the Insect Vision Laboratory at the University of Newcastle in London.
I spend a lot of time hanging around various Volvo owner forums, and I’m always shamed by the sick custom jobs fellow Volvo 850 owners have ingeniously created, since mine is mostly stock [although I do have an AM/FM Cassette Deck I pulled from an S70 that is pretty impressive, if I do say so myself]. This purple menace out of Europe puts us all to shame though, and to quote Vito, I just may have to seek out its owner and make her my wife [just kidding, mom]
Bonus shots of other sweet custom Vo’s [and one stock red 850] after the jump
The witty commentary of the filming trash talkers is immediately silenced by the incredible burnout, and I love the 5 seconds of utter silence save for the screaming of the tires as the camera follows the Volvo around the corner. Ultimate Favorite Aspect of Video: the only word that doesn’t need to be translated and perfectly sums up the entire footage, “Oh shit.”
Apparently receiving a thumbs-down on their idea for roadhead simulation devices, Mercedes-Benz has announced plans to introduce new technology designed to keep drivers awake and attentive behind the wheel. After conducting internal research, Mercedes Benz revealed that about 25% of serious traffic accidents are caused by exhausted drivers and that drowsy driving causes more accidents than drunk driving. Aiming to reduce those numbers, in March 2009, the new Mercedes E-Class will offer “Attention Assist”, a driver monitoring system that follows in the footsteps of Volvo’s Driver Alert Control system [which, we would like to note, Volvo has been offering since 2005]. Merc’s technology will take cues from Volvo’s, which currently uses advanced Delphi camera systems and MobilEye image recognition software to monitor minor steering errors followed by larger corrections, lack of response to other vehicles, and changes in eye movement.
Today, our eBay Motors Ride of the Day is a 1995 Volvo 850 Turbo Wagon, a pick which may or may not have been heavily influenced by the exclusive interests of certain editorial staff members…but that’s neither here nor there. This particular Turbo Brick hails from New Mexico and appears to be in relatively good cosmetic condition. Unfortunately, this particular Swedish Speed Demon has been involved in an accident and is now a salvage-title vehicle [oh, how our tender hearts weep]. The good news: it was repaired by a Volvo specialist, presumably to factory working order, and is barely broken in with only 144,000 miles on the odometer. Please, we request respectful silence as we bask in its glory.
For a variety of reasons, Volvo has been given a ton of space on Ridelust recently. So I promise this will be my last Volvo post in awhile. But I just couldn’t resist reporting on the Swedish automaker’s new race car based on the C30 which is replacing the S60 in the STCC (Swedish Touring Car Championship). More significantly for Volvo, and the rest of us for that matter, is the use of bioethanol as the C30’s choice of fuel.
