Volvo XC60 2009 News

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

The X1 lands in Australia next year and will be fresh and new, unlike the larger X3 which has at least two more years before its next major overhaul.  Carparazzi caught the new X3 at the Nurburgring during recent tests and, despite a complete overhaul, the car looks much like the current model.The new X3 will have almost the same dimensions, although its styling will be shaped — Carparazzi says — to reflect some of BMW's work on the CS concept. That means a more prominent grille plus new wraparound headlights.BMW is concentrating on lifting cabin quality in the X3 to combat the gains made by the Audi Q5 and Volvo XC60 which went on sale this year, as well as the Mercedes-Benz GLK which is still being promised for Australia — sometime.The other change for the X3 is that production will be moved to the USA, where it will be built alongside the X5 and X6 models at BMW's factory in Spartanburg, South Carolina.Mechanically, the biggest news is expected to be a twin-turbo engine taken from the 335i model, as well as a 2-litre turbodiesel and — like the larger X-cars — a hybrid model.

The Mercedes-Benz E Class is good, the Ford Fiesta is better, but the Golf is best of all from more than 100 new cars that landed in Australia over the past year.

The only SUV in the field packs everything from an efficient diesel engine to a mix-and-match cabin and benchmark safety systems

Even though the September market showed mixed results across all segments, luxury off-roaders and sportscars were the exception, rocketing up the sales charts.VFACTS industry figures show a 31 per cent lift in luxury off-roader sales and 17 per cent rise in sportscar sales last month. The luxury off-roader numbers were buoyed by strong sales for the BMW X5, and several newcomers, including the Volvo XC60, Lexus LX, RX and Audi Q5.With the weather warming up, convertibles helped feed the lift in sportscar numbers. Perennial favourites like the Mini Cooper cabrio, Saab 9-3 cabrio and Mazda MX5 helped bolster sportscar sales for the month. The Audi A5, BMW Z4, Mercedes-Benz SLK and Volkswagen Eos also fueled buyer interest.The SUV segment overall was up almost 2 per cent compared to September last year. Other segments are also on the rise, thanks to the Federal Government's small business tax stimulus package. Compact off-roaders and light commercial van sales are up 5 per cent while 4x4 utes, light cars and medium car sales are also up.The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries chief executive, Andrew McKellar, says the robust September result is proof of further signs of a consolidation in the new vehicle market. "This was a good month with a stronger than expected result," he says.Overall 78,131 cars, SUVs and commercial vehicles were sold last month. This is down 3.5 per cent - or 2807 vehicles - compared to September last year. Despite a lift in optimism, McKellar says private buyers are still reluctant to return to the market. "Some areas of buyer confidence remain fragile and an interest rate rise is premature," he says. "The economic stimulus has resulted in positive business sales but private buyers need the confidence to return to showrooms in larger numbers."Year-to-date 681,974 new vehicles have been sold, down 13.1 per cent compared to the same period last year.Toyota remains in the top sales position for September with 16,007 vehicle sales, ahead of Holden with 9744 and Ford with 8427. Toyota's senior executive director sales and marketing, David Buttner, says the company expects to pass 50,000 sales in the last quarter for the first time this year. "Toyota is holding a substantial order book into October, and it is gearing up for an end-of-year rush from the business sector," Buttner says. Buttner says the company has fixed stock shortages of the top-selling HiLux.TOP 10  BRANDS    Sept           YTD 2009 (+/- on 2008)Toyota                   16,007             142,898       -22.3%Holden                      9744               85,667       -14.0%Ford                          8427               70,289       -13.7%Mazda                       7205               57,695         -7.2%Hyundai                    5484               47,625        36.4%Mitsubishi                4312               40,092        -16.3%Nissan                       4079               38,446       -15.8%Honda                       3939               31,787       -22.9%Subaru                      2807               27,225         -9.0%Volkswagen             2307               22,717         -5.4% 

It sounds like nothing more than a beautiful dream, but it is one dream that Volvo plans to make a reality by 2020. All of its safety development work is now focussed on cars that help their drivers avoid collisions, but also minimising the potential for danger if a crash cannot be avoided.That means cars that keep their drivers from falling asleep, cars that do emergency braking automatically, cars that pre-prepare the cabin for an impact, and cars that even call for help after an impact.Much of the work is already done — the classy new XC60 SUV is loaded with city safety and lane departure warnings and blind spot indicators and much more — but Volvo made its name on safety and no-one is taking things easy. "Our company was founded on human values ... and we have put these into action.Now we step into the future with the conscience to design environmentally-adapted vehicles. We have the character to set the standard," says Steve Armstrong, chief operating officer of Volvo Cars in Sweden.He is speaking at an intensive one-day safety forum designed to bring the world's journalists up to speed on Volvo's latest work. It covers everything from electric cars and child safety to the need for governments to do better work on road design and infrastructure improvements. "The target is zero. On safety and the environment. We are working to design cars that don't crash. Our environmental target is zero emissions and zero impact," says Armstrong.It's an impressive goal, but Volvo is racing Mercedes-Benz and Renault and the rest on the safety front and making good moves that should benefit everyone who travels by automobile. "Why should you be allowed to risk your life and limbs just because you transport yourself?," asks Thomas Broberg, who is head of safety at Volvo.His latest work is on cars that brake automatically when they sense a person ahead of the vehicle. "Safety is all about knowledge. We address an issue we see in the real world," he says. "We've managed to reduce the risk of injury in a Volvo by more than 50 per cent since the 1970s, more like 60 per cent. But we haven't finished yet.""Our job is to invent technologies. We have structured our work according to a holistic view, with a timeline where the crash is the major event." 

After waving its R-Design wand over the XC60, the wagon gets a more aggressive look with matt silver exterior finis-hes, skid-plates, twin chrome exhausts and five-spoke 18-inch alloys.Volvo Cars Australia spokesperson, Laurissa Mirabelli, says the hotter looking XC60 will be available later this year. "But we're still finalising local specifications and prices," she says.Volvo is broadening is R-Design packages across most of its range. With the XC60 R-Design as well as the 2010 model year S80 R-Design, Volvo will have seven sports models available, from the C30 hatch up to the XC90.Mirabelli says most of the R-design option packs available locally are purely cosmetic. "They are non-performance enhancements like spoilers and body kits," she says.But the XC60 gets sharper steering and slightly firmer suspension. The V70 R-Design also benefits from a firmer chassis. Visually the lower section of the XC60 is colour matched to the rest of the car, instead of the matt-black lower panels of the standard off-roader. This creates an impression that the car sits closer to the ground, giving it a more dynamic look, even though ground clearance remains unchanged.Inside the XC60 gets metal highlights with aluminium inserts in the sports steering wheel, doors and centre console. Brushed aluminium sports pedals have rubber inserts for grip.Volvo buyers looking to boost engine performance can access the extensive Heico Sportiv performance catalogue available through their local dealers.Heico can supply up to 350 different enhancements for Volvo cars, from pedal sets to engine-management systems. Enthusiasts can spend from as little as $500 for alloy pedals up to $6000 for the performance-rated tyres and alloys.The XC60 has been a minor success story for the brand locally. Last month 175 were sold, putting it ahead of the Audi Q5 (149) and the BMW X3 (123).From August an upgraded 2.4-litre D5 turbo diesel XC60 arrives. Engine power grows 15kW to 151kW at 4000 revs and torque is up 20Nm to 420Nm from 1500 revs.

And the car industry is not immune from being saddled with these potentially damaging problems.Apart from Ford's recent problems with brake hoses and brake booster valves on E-Gas Falcons the other ‘big two’ carmakers have had their fair share of recalls.Holden has had five recalls for its VE Commodore and Statesman range since its introduction in 2006, involving things like fuel vapor lines, fuel lines and defective valves on LPG cars.ToyotaToyota had a range of recalls for its Camry, HiLux, RAV4, Yaris and LandCruiser over the past three years. Most, like a headlight dimmer switch on a Camry, have been minor. Others, like the potential fire hazard stemming from a poorly installed insulator pad on a Yaris, raised alarm bells among some customers.NissanLast week Nissan was forced to recall 11,743 Maximas and 4972 Muranos because of a vibrating air intake in the engine bay.AudiEven the luxury German brands are not immune. Last year Audi had to recall its TT for a piece of rear side trim in its cars that unless fixed, could potentially injure passengers.Mercedes-Benz This year Mercedes-Benz has recalled its M-Class off-roader for a possible glitch in its electric rear hatch. It was also forced to recall S-Class sedans fitted with active body control because of problems with the front lower ball joints on its suspension. On some high-mileage vehicles, the front suspension could fracture on rough roads. Faulty left and right windows in the Viano van also required the replacement.BMWOf the German carmakers, BMW has fared better. It has not had a official government recall since 2006.Volvo Volvo has had three recalls this year of its S80, XC70, V70 and new XC60 for engine cooling fan problems and windscreen wiper problems with the S80 and XC70.JaguarJaguar, once widely ridiculed for its poor quality cars, has come a long way over the past few years. Jaguars these days have no less, or no more, problems with recalls than some of the other luxury brands. Last year it experienced some minor problems with the XF range involving wiring and rear seatbelts.In all cases, recalls by carmakers are handled quickly and responsibly. If you want to check out whether your vehicle has had a recall, go to www.recalls.gov.au

Almost every new arrival came with a major safety push, including the City Safety system we've already reviewed in the Volvo XC60 and plenty of airbag and ABS action in cars at every price point.The latest member of the five-star ANCAP crew, the Holden Commodore Sportwagon, was also announced.But the TAC wanted more and staged a protest at the show to highlight the need for safe shopping by every Australian family. It used actors dressed as crash-test dummies to push the message, even calling on motoring journalists to join the cause."If everyone upgraded their car to the safest in its class, the Victorian road toll could be cut by a third overnight," says the TAC's road safety manager, Samantha Cockfield."Your car's safety features could mean the difference between life and death for you or a member of your family."Find out more on the 2009 Melbourne Motor Show.The TAC, like Volvo and other safety leaders, is also asking people to take a deeper dive into safety, moving beyond airbags to the sort of systems which can prevent a crash or help the driver do a better job on the road.Cockfield says there are plenty of new developments that people need to know."These include Intelligent Speed Assist, active head restraints, assisted braking systems, driver fatigue detection and land departure warning."But the simplest message on safety is just to go to a website, www.howsafeisyourcar.com.au  before you buy.  ON THE PAD: March Audi A6, mid-sized luxuryAudi Q5, a major milestoneBMW 7 Series, the benchmarkLexus RX350, all-new SUVMazda MX-5, new smiling facePorsche Boxster, beats the 911Skoda Octavia, gets a boost April Honda Odyssey, fourth-generation people moverHyundai i30CW, baby wagonMazda3, a sales winnerMini Cabrio, second-generation droptop

Then, early Saturday our time, a Swedish court gave it three months to find a means of keeping the company afloat while an administrator negotiates with creditors.Saab's managing director, Jan Ake Jonsson, says Saab is seeking to create a fully independent business."What would happen during the reorganisation phase is more preservation of cash and making sure we have the financials to go through it. Exactly what that means is too early to say."How very confidence inspiring …One feels for the workers, dealers and thousands of various job descriptions whose livelihoods will exist no longer when the Trollhattan marque eventually succumbs to the inevitable.Honestly, though, does anyone believe Saab deserves to survive?Can anyone – except perhaps the ever diminishing number of clueless and chronically dizzy types who mysteriously continue buy them – say with sincerity that they care a Viking’s frozen digit for Saab?The 9-5 is so hopelessly obsolete, so thoroughly behind the times, driving it is the equivalent of wearing spats. To the beach. The numerical designation might as well indicate its year of origin; the 9-5 belongs firmly to the previous century.Next to that the 9-3, with its near-decade old Vectra underpinnings, is positively effervescent. But with at least a half dozen sounder and more desirable alternatives for every one of the barely numerable variants in the line-up, the 9-3 is also very possibly the most futile car on earth.And as for charging $90K for the top model, on what planet – or more to the point – in which era do these people dwell?The only possible thing Saab could do to justify its continued existence is to make an entirely new car. A proper new car, that is, as opposed to minor embellishments of two decomposing model lines.That’s not going to happen, at least not in a hurry. Saab is wedded to a decaying US former auto giant, whose embattled execs want nothing more than a quick divorce. And Saab can’t afford to live on its own.The contrast with compatriot Volvo is glaring. But while Ford remains attached to life support, its Swedish subsidiary has at least continued to produce new, competitive and even – in terms of its fusty image – exciting new models, a la the C30 T5 and XC60. So Ford will eventually find a buyer for Volvo, because it’s making cars that you’d cheerfully spend your money on.Whereas Saab … well, the best thing it could do is to stop making them altogether. Please.