Volvo S60 2013 News

Volvo, Subaru, Land Rover, Citroen and GM have issued safety recalls for some vehicles due to defective manufacturing issues.

None of us wants to crash our shiny new car but, if we do, we want to know we're safe. That's where the Australian New Car Assessment Program's standardised crash-testing analysis is invaluable, providing comparable ratings for vehicles of all types.The ANCAP site notes that a one-star car is twice as likely to kill you as a five-star model. Carsguide examines ANCAP's results to find the best of breed in each segment. It's worth noting the advanced software in some cars that readies the vehicle if a crash is imminent are disabled during the official tests. Cars are scored out of 37 points after the following tests.FRONTAL OFFSET TEST: The subject vehicle is accelerated to 64km/h and rammed into a deformable alloy barrier to simulate a head-on crash. To increase the severity and reproduce real-world conditions only 40 per cent of the car hits the wall - equating to a driver swerving to avoid an oncoming vehicle.SIDE IMPACT TEST: The T-bone hit rams a 950kg trolley into the side of the car at 50km/h. The sled has an alloy face to simulate the front of another vehicle, which deforms and absorbs some of the impact.PEDESTRIAN TEST: Simulates the results of hitting a pedestrian at 40km/h. The test assesses adult and child impacts, given their heads and limbs strike different areas of the car.POLE TEST: This is the most demanding test in the ANCAP repertoire. Trees and poles don't deform, so all the crash energy is transferred to the vehicle. The car is put on a sled and propelled towards a fixed steel pole at 29km/h.SAFEST SMALL CARSAUDI A3 36.41 See reviews of this carOfficially the best small car to occupy in an accident. Impressively, the windscreen pillar didn't move after a 64km/h hit with the concrete block.  HONDA INSIGHT 36.39 See reviews of this carIts score reflects a 3mm movement of the pillar in the frontal offset test and "slight risk" of serious leg injury for driver and passenger.   BMW 1 SERIES HATCH 36.33 See reviews of this carThere's a slight risk of serious chest injury for the driver in the frontal and side crash test and a slight risk of serious leg injury for the passenger in the frontal crash.   SAFEST MEDIUM CARSMERCEDES B-CLASS 36.78 See reviews of this carTops the charts with the highest score of any car in ANCAP database. Technically there's a 4mm movement of the front pillar and a slight risk of injury to the passenger leg closest the door.  BMW 3 SERIES 36.76 See reviews of this carBarely behind. It showed a 1mm movement of the pillar and there was a slight risk of serious injury to the driver's and passenger's legs.VOLVO V40 36.67 See reviews of this carThe only loss of points occurred during the frontal crash test, with a slight risk of serious injury to the front occupants' legs closest the door and the driver's chest.SAFEST LARGE CARSTOYOTA AURION 36.59 See reviews of this carFirst place in this class makes it the only locally built vehicle in any top-three line-up. There's a slight risk of lower leg injury for driver and passenger.   BMW 5 Series 36.53 See reviews of this carNot a bad place to be in the event of an accident either. It blitzed the side impact tests and only lost fractions of points in the head-on hit.    VOLVO S60 36.34 See reviews of this carSweden maintains its safety credentials. The passenger compartment stayed intact with only a 1mm movement of the front pillar.    SAFEST COMPACT SUVS SUBARU XV 35.53 See reviews of this carLike the slightly lower-riding Impreza, the XV scored highly in all crashes, with a slight risk of injury to the front occupants' chests and legs.    HOLDEN TRAX 35.18 See reviews of this carThe surprise packet. One of the smaller cars in the class has only a slight risk of serious leg injury for those in the front in a head-on crash.   Skoda Yeti 34.67 See reviews of this carDepite being one of the older examples in this segment, the Yeti still rates well for safety, with only a slight risk of serious leg injury for those in the front in a head-on crash.    SAFEST MEDIUM SUVSVOLVO XC60 36.53 See reviews of this carANCAP says the cabin 'held its shape extremely well" in the frontal test, with the pillar shifting just 3mm. There was a slight risk of serious chest and leg injuries to the driver.  FORD KUGA 36.33 See reviews of this carA solid second, posing a slight risk of serious chest injury for both front seat occupants. The front pillar moved 15mm.   HONDA CR-V 35.91 See reviews of this carPlaced well despite being penalised for the foot-operated park brake moving upwards and back. Structurally there was only a 2mm movement of the pillar.  SUBARU FORESTER 35.64 See reviews of this carTested this year, it scored highly in all crashes, with a slight risk of injury to the front occupants' chests and legs.   SUBARU OUTBACK 35.52 See reviews of this carFills the brand's quinella. Crashed in 2008 and at the time topped the charts as the safest vehicle ANCAP had tested. SAFEST LARGE SUVSMERCEDES-BENZ ML 36.34 See reviews of this car Luxury SUV has a slight risk of serious chest injury for driver and passenger in the head-on hit and a slight risk of serious leg injury for the passenger. The pillar moved 2mm. RANGE ROVER 36.19 See reviews of this carBig Brit has a slight risk of serious chest injury for the driver and the pillar shifted by 15mm.   NISSAN PATHFINDER 35.73 See reviews of this carSlight risk of serious leg injury for the driver. Unlike the other two, it applies to the upper leg as well as the expected lower-leg hits. Docked points for a marginal pedestrian impact result.

Volvo is getting ready to join the V8 Supercars next year – fielding two S60 sedans under the banner of Volvo Polestar Racing in partnership with Garry Rogers Motorsport (GRM).However the Swedish brand is already thinking about increasing the number of cars the following year. In 2014, Volvo’s racers -- Scott McLaughlin and a second one yet to be named – will pilot their two cars Holden’s 13 Commodores, Ford's six Falcons, four Nissan Altimas and three Mercedes-Benz E63 AMGS.But Volvo's global motorsport boss Derek Crabb said the prospect of having more S60s appealed to him. "Clearly, the more cars on the grid, the more exposure Volvo gets and the more chances Volvo has of getting a win, which we need," Crabb said. "But then you have to put the cost back into it. So yeah, we dream about year two and year three but let's get through year one first."Polestar Racing owner Christian Dahl agreed. "I think if you are going to fight for the championship in the long term, you need more cars out there because there are a lot of Holdens and only two Volvos," Dahl said. "But that is a question for the future." But for the moment Volvo is dealing with GRM’s sponsor since 2010, Fujitsu, announcing yesterday it would not renew its association with the team next year due to a shift in their "commercial focus".However Garry Rogers is optimistic about finding a new sponsor. "Next year's program has generated a lot of interest and we will now be following up all avenues so as to secure suitable commercial business partners to join the GRM team," he said.

Ford will not be lost to V8 Supercars — at least for another year — with the manufacturing giant set to extend its sponsorship of the Ford Performance Racing team for a further 12 months. In a move that will keep the fierce Holden versus Ford war alive, Ford is on the verge of handing a new set of keys to FPR.Ford has been in deep negotiations with the team and V8 Supercars for the past month with the manufacturer considering options in a tough car market. The decision to axe the Falcon and cease Australian operations at the end of 2016 led to widespread speculation Ford would end its association with the sport when its contract with FPR expired at the end of the year.But Ford is likely to sign on for another year with FPR and V8 Supercars, presenting a strong case for the manufacturer to stick around and take the fight to Holden, as well as new comers Nissan, Mercedes and soon Volvo. “A 12-month deal is looking likely,’’ a well-placed V8 source said.  “Negotiations look -encouraging and as of last week a new deal was looking imminent.”The new deal will leave Ford fans rejoicing and give the sport another year to convince the manufacturer there is a long-term future in V8s. The “Car of the Future’’ platform has enabled manufacturers easily to adapt many models for racing in the series, with Nissan this year bringing in the mid-size Altima and Volvo to unleash the S-60 on famous tracks such as Mount Panorama and Phillip Island.V8 officials have shown Ford their long-term plans and confirmed it would be able to race with a mid-size entry, with the sport aware of a shift towards smaller cars in the current economy. Depending on Ford’s plans, the Mustang may also be revived and is the preference of Ford drivers Mark Winterbottom and David Reynolds.Winterbottom yesterday said he hoped to see Ford remain in the sport for a long time, saying it was vital to the success of the category. “It is important for the sport that they stay,’” Winterbottom said yesterday. “Ford has such a long history in the sport and they have so many fans that would be shattered if they left.” 

Mark Skaife has declared incoming manufacturer Volvo is not a replacement for Ford in the , with the V8 Supercars commissioner set to do everything he can to make sure the famous brand remains in the

Volvo will once again try to change its staid image and bring an end to Volvo jokes by joining the V8 Supercar racing series in 2014 -- even though it does not sell a V8 car locally.The Swedish brand’s arrival brings the number of car makers competing in the Australian V8 championship to five, joining Holden, Ford, Nissan and Mercedes-Benz.Unlike the Mercedes deal which is privately funded, the Volvo race program is being backed by the factory, albeit paid for by Volvo Australia. Volvo will develop a V8 in Sweden especially for the race series even though it no longer offers a V8 in its passenger car range.Melbourne-based Garry Rogers Motorsport, formerly a Holden-backed operation, will run the two-car Volvo team. There are no plans to change the current driver line-up Scott McLaughlin and Alex Premat, the team says. Volvo Australia said it is a “multi-year” deal but would not disclose how exactly how many years.When asked if this would finally put an end to Volvo jokes -- after earlier racing campaigns, which included the late racing legend Peter Brock, failed to break perceptions -- the boss of Volvo Australia Matt Braid said: “I think we’re already there. That heritage has disappeared. I think there is some residual in older age groups … but times have changed and I’m sure the V8 series will enhance it.”Volvo said the racing campaign shows the company is “competing on the track and in the marketplace”, although its sales are down 10 per cent in a market that  is up by 4.5 per cent so far this year. Not having a V8 to sell to the public will not backfire on the brand, says Volvo, “because there isn’t a racing series in the world that’s tied to production cars these days”.The rule-changes to V8 Supercars this year mean the race cars no longer need to technically resemble their road-car cousins. The formula appears to be working. Last season four drivers from two teams shared 30 race wins. So far this year eight drivers from five teams have shared 19 race victories.Volvo's announcement coincides with Volvo’s unveiling of a high-performance sedan powered by a turbocharged six-cylinder engine, called the S60 Polestar and valued at $109,950.This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling 

The souped-up Volvo S60 is the result of a 12-month intensive development program between Volvo Australia and the company’s global motorsport and performance partner, Polestar.  Just 50 cars will be built, with the first batch arriving in late June. The all-wheel drive cars will be capable of a 4.9-second blast to 100km/h … and will be priced to match. Volvo Australia hasn’t confirmed prices - managing director Matt Braid was still finalising details this week on everything from the braking package to the seat bolstering and upholstery - but Carsguide believes the car will cost around $115,000.That will buy a Volvo S60 R Design car with major suspension and drivetrain upgrades from Polestar to transform the already capable sedan into a seriously quick car. It’s not going to challenge the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG or BMW M3 for outright grunt but Polestar director Hans Baath says that wasn’t the intent.“It’s not our aim to be AMG,” he says. “This is more of a driver’s car than a performance car because that (performance) is based so heavily on engine output. So it’s not just a track car … it is something you should be able to drive every day in all conditions.”It is also the first car Polestar has developed for Volvo and Baath says the Aussie experience will determine whether the S60 Polestar is sold in other markets and whether Polestar will then turn its attention to other vehicles in the Swedish carmaker’s range. Polestar project manager Henrik Fries says the S60 is more than the sum of its parts.“Everything that moves, we changed,” he notes. “This is a car with much more handling and agility … we have built a car that people will enjoy driving.”Changes include Ohlins suspension with adjustable rebound and compression damping, upgrades to the six-speed automatic transmission software, a bigger turbo on the six-cylinder engine, ECU tweaks to cope with the 257kW/500Nm outputs and upgrades to the Haldex all-wheel drive system biased for rear-wheel drive. 

And before you reply, understand that this Swede is big on playing with steel and engines - kinky! For the first time, Volvo is openly hawking partners to take it to the next stage and inject capital to ensure it remains a stand-alone business.Volvo product planner Lex Kerssemakers says the company's owner, the Chinese conglomerate Geely, wants Volvo to be a stand-alone operation "so we can fund our future and continue making new products''."We aren't in a hurry. We can live without an alliance for a few years yet because we have the C-platform of the V40 to work on," he says, adding however: "Volvo won't renew our technical partnership with Ford.''That means the end of a partnership with Ford - who until two years ago owned Volvo - and created the S40, V50, S60 and other models that shared platforms, components and drivetrains with Ford.The Ford Focus, for example, shares the platform with the S40 and V50 while the S60 is on the same base as the Ford Mondeo.Engines and transmissions are also common, with Volvo sharing Ford's six-speed dual-clutch automatic and the turbocharged four-cylinder engines including the 2-litre EcoBoost now in the Ford Falcon."We have to have alliances,''Kerssemakers says. "We're talking to some companies and we may look to share engines in the future with a partner. "Anyone who makes a C-platform (Focus size) is a possible partner.'' But though the relationship with Ford has ended, Kerssemakers says that doesn't mean it wouldn't forge another deal. "We're very happy with Ford - always have been,'' he says. "We could make an alliance with them work. You can't rule anything out today - everyone is talking to everyone else - just look at the PSA Peugeot and General Motors alliance.'' On the flip side, Kerssemakers says Volvo has a lot to offer in a relationship. "We are one to two years ahead of the game when it comes to plug-in technology,'' he says. "We can share that, depending on price. Were also talking electrification and safety with China. "We are a bit ahead of China. They look to us. But China is good at low-cost platforms and we could use that. There's nothing wrong with their quality.'' Kerssemakers says plug-in hybrid technology was "very, very expensive''. "It's only for diesels at the moment but we see huge benefits because it offers the best of two worlds - performance and economy. "It's ideal for a partnership.''

We'll see three new entrants due to lob within the next 12 months, including Mercedes-Benz's new A-Class.It will be joined in the fray by Audi's new A3 and the new Volvo V40, a shorter, hatchback variant of the S60 sedan for want of a better description.All are five door hatchbacks with front wheel drive. BMW's stylistically challenged 1-Series is the only rear wheel drive. Although some manufacturers are reluctant to admit it, the main competition for all players is VW?s super popular Golf.CLEAN SHEETThe Benz is a clean sheet project having nothing at all in common with the previous A-Class mini people mover. That job has been ceded to the new Benz B-Class and it's an effective device for everyday family motoring. New A-Class is taking Benz in a totally new direction that will open up a wider and younger customer base to the three pointed star. Early kick-off price guesstimates are in the $35,000 range.DIGITAL NATIVESIt's a car precisely targeting the Gen Y and Xers (so called Digital Natives) replete with a full array of connectivity right down to being able to seamlessly hook up your iPad or iPhone to the in-car info/control system.It will be a smart phone on wheels offering a smooth transition from a digital lifestyle to a digital driving style. And get this, there's a virtual co-driver you can question or instruct to operate in-car functions.LOOKSThe stunning looker, which bears a remarkable similarity to the A Concept of 2011, will be made in Germany, Hungary and tellingly, China. And we can expect a few other variants built on the same front wheel drive platform (moving to all wheel drive when AMG gets its hands on A-Class).UNDER THE BONNETIt will be powered by a range of existing and a couple of new Benz turbo direct injection petrol and turbodiesel engines rated from 80kW through to 155kW with capacities ranging from 1.6 through to 2.1-litres. Benz hasn't confirmed it but a three door hatch variant should become available a little further down the track and possibly a drop top cabriolet.Benz's performance partner AMG has been enlisted to develop certain A-Class parts so they have intimate knowledge of the car already. The A250 Sport enjoys significant AMG input. New A-Class will be offered with six-speed manual and seven-speed dual clutch manumatic transmissions and all models will have auto stop/start to optimise fuel economy.Camtronic that alters valve lift in the petrol engines for peak efficiency will also make an appearance. An 'Eco' mode will be available to squeeze out the last kilometre in fuel economy if you drive carefully.ACRONYMS R USBenz won't hold back on the acronym features list either that will see the new baby Benz fitted with a speed limiter (Distronic), radar-based Collision Prevention Assist (CPA), Pre-Safe collision preparation and Lane Keeping Assist as well as Fatigue Alert and numerous other electronic driver and safety aids. They have filtered down from larger models as has the luxury inventory.STYLEIt has an assertive stance on the road with a masculine frontal appearance and deeply sculpted panels. The ride height is low and a striking "pointillist" style grille is available on some models. It looks ready to pounce from all angles and inside, the assertive, quality theme carries through with seats for four and a reasonable boot space.The dash is from funky town featuring an electroplated look to many surfaces and impressive audio and lighting spex. It rates a strong five stars in crash testing and boasts newly developed pedestrian safety technology. The multi-faceted headlights feature a bank of LEDs for daytime running, indicators and parking lights. It rates a low 0.26Cd for aerodynamic efficiency.VERDICTIf it goes as good as it looks the new A-Class could be a world beater. It has the potential to lift Mercedes-Benz to a new level with a wider audience and still maintain that prestige aura associated with the 110 year old automotive brand. We find out soon enough.

But Volvo points out it's not alone and won't be the first European to use China's enormous manufacturing and labour expertise to make vehicles for smaller markets such as Australia.Volvo Cars product strategy vice president Lex Kerssemakers says it was "likely'' that cars would be made in China but insists there would be no difference in quality or performance."I can see Volvo cars for Australia coming from China,'' he says. "The only issue may be customer perception. But China makes the S80 for its own market that is equal in quality to the S80 that we make in Sweden. Quality is not an issue.'' Mr Kerssemakers says Volvo was "a small car manufacturer''. In an interview at the launch of the latest V40 small car in Geneva, he says: "We don't source parts from different manufacturers because we can't afford to.''"So all components that would go into a Volvo car built in China would be exactly the same as the components that went into a car built in our Swedish or Belgium factories. The way the car is made also would be no different. But the savings in distribution and duty (taxes) as well as the time frame make it very attractive."Customers don't really care where a car is made. They do care about quality, performance, reliability and so on. That wouldn't change.''Volvo currently makes two cars in China and all are only for domestic sale. The cars are a long wheelbase version of the S80 - which is exclusive to China - and the S60. The V40, revealed this week at the Geneva motor show, will also be built in China. Mr Kerssemakers says part of the reason Volvo is looking at increasing the number of its factories was to cope with predicted sales growth."We aim to sell 800,000 cars a year within a few years,'' he says. "Of that, 600,000 cars would be made in Europe and 200,000 in China. "Geely (the Chinese parent of Volvo) wants us to be financially self-sufficient and there's no hand-out from Geely. So we have to very carefully plan how we do business.''But he says that if the sales figures change and the need to build cars for export in China is reduced, Volvo wouldn't do it. However, given the upbeat predictions for the V40 small car, Mr Kerssemakers admitted that a China solution was "likely''.