Volvo V50 2013 News

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.''

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.