Volvo C70 2012 News

With fellow Swedish brand Saab tettering on the edge locally, Volvo Car Australia managing director, Alan Desselss, reckons the Volvo name could lure them across to the new C70 convertible.  "There is a good opportunity for us to go after ex-Saab convertible owners," Desselss says."Clearly there is a market that is open."  Local Saab sales have tanked with only one car sold so far this year as the product pipeline from Europe froze.Despite the company being saved from extinction by Dutch sportscar maker, Spyker, local dealers have watched buyers desert showrooms.  With the newest C70 S and T5 convertibles now arriving at Volvo dealers, Desselss is keen to snare sales from anywhere.The opener starts at $59,950 S with the range topper turbo T5 at $69,950.  Both the normally aspirated and turbo C70's use Volvo's five-cylinder petrol engines in 2.4 and 2.5-litre capacities.  The S develops 125kW/230Nm and the T5 169kW/320Nm.Although there are no plans for a four cylinder C70, Desselss says he would not rule it out in the future, saying such a model could help lower the entry price into the C70.  Volvo has already previewed a new-generation 149kW/300Nm 2.0-litre turbocharged direct-injection four cylinder that will be rolled out in Europe in the S80, V70 and XC60.The engine is also destined for the new S60, which arrives in local showrooms later this year.  With the Saab 9-3 convertible effectively out of the picture, the C70 counts as its direct Euro rivals the Volkswagen Eos, BMW 1 Series convertible and Audi A3 convertible.

Volvo is destined to use a version of the 2011 Falcon's 2.0-litre direct-injection turbo-charged EcoBoost four cylinder engine in some of its own cars late next year. The global Ford engine is rolling out across Ford, Volvo and Mazda cars around the world.A powerful 2.0-litre version of the Volvo engine, called GTDi and developing more than 150kW, is due to appear in the XC60 in the Netherlands. A smaller 1.6-litre version is also planned for other models.Volvo Cars Australia spokesperson, Laurissa Mirabelli, says the first GTDi engines, mated to a Powershift six-speed dual clutch gearbox, will roll out in Europe later this year but are not scheduled to arrive here until 2010. "We are still to look at positioning though and which specific models will get the engine," she says.Volvo is joining Volkswagen and Audi as newer hi-tech engines allow carmakers to downsize capacity to increase fuel economy and pass tougher European tax regimes on emissions. Direct-injection technology, combined with turbocharging, helps reduce engine displacement without any performance loss, but with about 20 per cent lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.First seen on the S60 concept with 1.6-litre capacity, the GTDi produces 134kW yet returns an average fuel economy figure of 5.0l/100km and C02 emissions of 119 g/km in the concept sedan. Mirabelli says the face-lifted C70 cabrio, which arrives next March, will be too early for the GTDi powerplants.Visually, the C70 will receive Volvo's new family face, as previewed in the S60 concept earlier this year. The refreshed tin-top convertible will be launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show in two weeks with the C30, S40 and V50 following later.As the C70 shows, the range will get more angular headlights, a low-set grille, larger air intakes and repositioned foglights. The front mudguards have been redesigned to accommodate the more aggressive, wedged-shaped nose. At the back the convertible gets high-tech LED tail-lights, shared with the XC60.Although most of the changes are external, the cabin has come in for a makeover too. The instrument panel has been redesigned, giving it a wider, sleeker look and the materials are improved to lift quality against its key German rivals.The C70's already strong safety credentials carry over with the rollover protection system, side curtain airbags that inflate in the door, side airbags and seatbelt pre-tensioners for all seats.In Europe the C70 is available with three petrol and two turbo-diesel engines but Australia will carry over the 169kW/320Nm T5 and 125kW/230Nm 2.4i five-cylinder engines only. 

The C70 convertible is the first to get the new look, which is based on the S60 concept sedan released earlier this year.The newest Volvo convertible will be launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show in two weeks with the C30, S40 and V50 following later. The C70 will share its design cues with the S60 concept.As the C70 shows, the range will get more angular headlights, a low-set grille, larger air intakes and repositioned foglights. The front mudguards have been redesigned to accommodate the more aggressive, wedged-shaped nose. At the back the convertible gets high-tech LED tail-lights, shared with the XC60.Although most of the changes are external, the cabin has come in for a makeover too. The instrument panel has been redesigned, giving it a wider, sleeker look and the materials are improved to lift quality against its key German rivals.The C70's already strong safety credentials carry over with the rollover protection system, side curtain airbags that inflate in the door, side airbags and seatbelt pre-tensioners for all seats.In Europe the C70 is available with three petrol and two turbo-diesel engines but Australia will carry over the 169kW/320Nm T5 and 125kW/230Nm 2.4i five-cylinder engines only. 

The car brand trumpeted as the world's safest will catch up with the pack next month. Volvo is at last making sure every car it sells in Australia is equipped with ESP and traction control as standard. It has yet to confirm details of the ESP upgrade, including prices, though all Australian cars coming off the production line this month – which means deliveries in June once they are shipped from Sweden – will have the system. “We can confirm that dynamic stability control and traction control will be standard on all Volvo models from May production,” says Laurissa Mirabelli of Volvo Cars Australia. While Volvo is talking up its ESP upgrade, it is also working to finalise details of next year's model line-up after an upgrade last week in Europe. They should be here by October, and the all-new XC60 all-wheel-drive wagon will be the headliner. The most obvious change, on everything from the baby C30 to the C70, is a larger Volvo badge on the boot. It picks up the prominence of the badge on the XC60 and the latest mid-sized wagons. The only other change across the range, though not confirmed for Australia, is exterior mirrors that fold flat for parking. “There will be some minor changes to Volvo's MY09 line-up this year, as there is with its models every year,” Mirabelli says. “The MY09s won't be here until much later this year and we're not in a position to confirm the extent of the changes yet, given we're still going through the business case process.” She says there are only minor tweaks to the range, apart from the XC60, and nothing big on the technical front. In Europe, there are minor tweaks to nine models and one of the best is an optional system called Homelink. It uses buttons integrated into the sun visor to operate remote-controlled home appliances such as garage doors, house alarms and lighting. There is an upgrade of the optional satellite navigation on the S40 and V50, a hard load cover is now standard on all C30s and the climate control is upgraded in the C70 with the addition of the Powershift gearbox already fitted to the C30, S40 and V50. The S80 flagship gets heated washer nozzles and chronograph-style dials in the dash.