Volvo V60 2016 News

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

The Swedish brand, which joined V8Supercars in 2014, is committed to running S60 sedans in the series until 2016.But with rule changes for 2017 allowing more variety in body styles and engines, Volvo is rumoured to be considering a switch to a racer based on its V60 wagon.An image obtained by CarsGuide shows how it would look ready to race.Volvo Car Australia refused to confirm the illustration’s authenticity. “We do not comment on future plans,” says spokesman Oliver Peagam.But the sensible Swedish company has raced wagons before, grabbing enduring publicity for the brand. Volvo ran two 850 Estates in the 1994 British Touring Car Championship, and one of the Tom Walkinshaw Racing-prepared wagons competed in the Australian Super Touring Championship the following year. Two decades later they’re still remembered.Current V8 Supercar rules mandate four-door sedans and V8 engines. Regulations for 2017 will open the sport to any body shape with at least four seats, while four- and six-cylinder turbo engines will be able to line up against traditional V8s.For Volvo, the switch to a V60 racer makes senseThe changes are designed to make Australia’s premier motorsport category relevant after longstanding rivals Ford and Holden shut down their Australian factories in 2016 and 2017.The “Gen2” rule book would allow these companies to compete with Mustang and Camaro coupes instead of Falcon and Commodore sedans as well as attracting more brands to the series.Hyundai and Lexus, for example, are both known to be interested in entering cars.For Volvo, the switch to a V60 racer makes sense, highlighting the brand’s practical wagon prowess, for one thing. And with the Swedish company dropping its big five-, six- and eight-cylinder engines, winning races with a high-power turbo four would convince customers that small doesn’t mean slow.A small turbo four brings racetrack advantagesLast year Volvo revealed it was working on a high-performance version of its new 2.0-litre Drive-E engine for road cars. Two regular turbos combined with an electric turbo compressor boost the four’s power to a V8-equalling 330kW.Volvo’s racing partner Polestar was involved in development of the concept engine. This experienced Swedish outfit, which engineered Volvo’s winning V8 Supercar engine, certainly will be able to extract even more power from a racing version of the 2.0-litre Drive-E.Its compact size improves weight distribution between the front and rear axle and lowers the centre of gravityA small turbo four brings racetrack advantages, as Volvo Polestar engine director Mattias Evensson explains when the triple-charged concept was revealed.“Its compact size improves weight distribution between the front and rear axle and lowers the centre of gravity — two factors that have a significant effect on the handling, whether it is a race car or a street car,” he says.The racer would have to adopt rear-drive as demanded by the Gen2 Supercar rules, unlike the showroom V60 which is front or all-wheel-drive.

The plug-in diesel-electric hybrid claims a sprint time of 6.2 seconds and fuel use of just 1.9 litres/100km. But if the performance and economy numbers are good, the price may put buyers off. Volvo Cars Australia boss Matt Braid says he hopes to have the V60 D6 hybrid wagon on sale for less than $100,000. He'll need to sharpen the pencil, given the petrol-powered version of the same car starts from $68,000. Admittedly, the plug-in diesel hybrid will use bugger-all fuel but even if the car lands for $90,000, the $20,000 difference will buy a lot of petrol. Braid says the V60 D6 will showcase Volvo's technology. "It's a niche model, volumes won't be massive, but it shows where we are on hybrids," he notes. "This car makes more sense for us than the (pure electric) C30 drivE. The lease and buyback arrangement Volvo has in Europe won't work for us in Australia. That makes the V60 the smartest showcase of our next-generation drivetrains." The D6 wagon's front wheels are powered by a 158kW/440Nm 2.4-litre turbodiesel. A 50kW/200Nm electric motor drives the rear axle, meaning the Volvo can run as a front, rear and all-wheel drive car depending on which of the three drive modes, pure, hybrid and power, it is operating in. Hybrid is the default mode when the car is started.  A gauge on the dash shows when power demand dictated by the right foot pressure  looks like kicking in the diesel to boost performance. Drivers can then either ease off to stay in electric mode, or feel a tiny jolt as the diesel fires up to join the party. Electric-only range is claimed to be around 50km at 100km/h but range anxiety won't be an issue given the diesel's fuel use and 45-litre tank should give it a 1000km cruise between tanks. The first batch of 1000 V60 D6 hybrids will be sold in Europe, with Australia joining the queue when full production of 4000-6000 cars, or 10 to 15 per cent of all V60s starts next year.  

The Volvo V60 ‘Panther’ commercial shows the black car demonstrating its dynamic abilities – along with its capacity to carry the big-cat pet in your household. It’s a far cry from the staid Volvo image of years ago, and certainly got our attention. But it also got the less applauding attention – and a round of tutt-tutting – from viewers who complained to the Advertising Standards Bureau, saying the ad “unambiguously depicts behaviours which would be both illegal and dangerous on a public road”. After taking a look, the ASB decided the footage depicted “reckless speed” and “unsafe driving”, and directed that it had to be dropped or the footage modified. Volvo agreed to modify the advertisement, and duly took it away to have any of the bits cut out that might be deemed to alarm the complainers. In other words, the exciting bits. “We took down the offending video and put up one that complied with the regulations,” Volvo spokesman Oliver Peagam says. “It was a version of the Panther ad, but we edited and removed the elements that were causing concern. There were cuts of sequences that showed things like the car going sideways.” However the Panther ad, plus the recent Suzuki Swift ad that showed some equally spirited driving, were among those that have sparked a review of car advertising’s current self-regulating code. Over the next six months, the Department of Infrastructure and Transport will examine the code, how it is interpreted and how the ASB handles complaints about car advertising. Peagam says the code currently acknowledges that advertisers can make use of fantasy, humour and exaggeration in commercials, which can be used to produce exciting footage that fits with Volvo’s changing image. “Volvo is unlikely to return to the staid image of previous years,” he says.  “A return to the old days doesn’t fit with the way the brand is developing and changing with new models coming through – and the new audiences and new demographic of buyers that are interested in them.”