Volvo XC90 2008 News

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

Volvo says it is recalling 1940 five-cylinder diesel vehicles, sold from 2007, because the power steering hose may be damaged by the engine cooling fan which may cause a loss of oil that will result in the power steering system failing. Owners have been asked to contact their local dealer.

Cate Blanchett, Jennifer Hawkins, Sandra Sully and Ian Thorpe all drive shiny new Audis, Laura Csortan has a Cadillac, Jim Stynes and Matt Shirvington drive Volvos and horse trainer David Hayes has a BMW.But none of them pays.It cost Michael Clarke more than $250,000 to slide Lara Bingle into a raunchy new Aston Martin V8 Vantage but car brands are so keen to connect to potential buyers that they are happy to loan cars to A-list celebrities and sports stars.Most of the cars are high-cost flagship models, from the Audi TT coupe and Q7 four-wheel drive to the Volvo XC90 SUV and the Cadillac CTS which goes on sale in Australia next month.The list of occupations of the ambassadors is almost as long as the companies involved, including athletes, environmentalists, radio jocks and fashion folk.Audi runs such a big freebie fleet that rival brands call it the United Nations - because it has so many 'ambassadors' - at an estimated cost of more than $1 million.The German brand currently has 18 ambassadors on its books, with Collette Dinnigan, Cathy Freeman, Sarah Murdoch, Grant Hackett and George Gregan among its other famous faces.Volvo has environmentalist David Ireland on its books, as well as Shirvington and footballer Matt Giteau."It is another way of raising awareness of the brand. It helps us to break through into areas where we might not otherwise have had a foothold," says Volvo spokesperson Laurissa Mirabelli."Our assocation with Matt Giteau and Matt Shirvington takes us into the sporting world, which is a new area.And she says Volvo has plans to sign more drivers."We will be expanding our program into other new areas," Mirabelli says.At Saab, Sigrid Thornton is a long-term ambassador and chef George Calombaris has also come on board.Sometimes the celebrity association goes beyond a car, with driver training as part of the package. And many A-listers get a taste for the deal through the Celebrity Race at the Australian Grand Prix, which has been backed in the past by BMW, Mini and Fiat.Homegrown brands Holden and Ford are part of the program, with the red team backing Deborah Hutton and the Australian netball team and the blue-oval brand taking on cricketers Andrew Symonds, Matthew Hayden and Michael Hussey, as well as Stephanie Gilmore.But BMW has wound back from the days when Felicity Kennett, James Morrison and Ken Done flew its flag."People are much more savvy these days. Having ambassadors is less relevant when people are more interested in the value, the technical innovation and whether the brand is something they aspire to own," said BMW Australia spokesman, Toni Andreevski."Just because a celebrity drives a car does not make it any more relevant to their purchase."And Mercedes' best-known brand rep, retired racer Mick Doohan, actually pays for his hot AMG Benzes - although not full retail."Mick is more of an enthusiastic customer," said David McCarthy of Mercedes-Benz Australia."Certainly, Mick's invovlement with AMG is very beneficiial when you see the reaction when he drives our cars in classic rallies. But, beyond that, we don't see much value."It's good to raise the profile, but how do you assess the value? The public is pretty aware."Another motorsport legend, Sir Jack Brabham, has been getting cars and bikes from Honda for decades, and is now on a team with fashion designer Akira Isogawa, Geoff Cox and Suzie Wilks."We get good value for money from our celebrities," said Honda's Mark Higgins.But Mazda has also wound back and only has Olympian Michael Klim, surfer Serena Brooks and radio personality Andy Lee on its books."It's very low-key. Everyone knows it's a commercial relationhip but we don't tend to use our celebrities like other car companies," said Mazda spokesman, Glenn Butler. CAR COMPANY BRAND AMBASSADORS:AUDI:Collette DinniganJennifer HawkinsShannon BennettAlisa CamplinJohn EalesCathy FreemanSarah MurdochAdam GilcristGeorge GreganGrant HackettMatt MoranZali SteggallSandra SullyIan ThorpeSteve WaughTodd Woodbridge BMW:David Hayes CADILLAC:Laura Csortan FORD:Andrew SymondsMatthew HaydenMichael HusseyMitchell JohnsonStephanie Gilmore HOLDEN:Deborah HuttonAustralian netball team HONDA:Geoff CoxSuzie WilksSir Jack BrabhamAkira Isakawa  MAZDA:Andy LeeSerena BooksMichael Klim MERCEDES:Mick Doohan SAAB:Sigrid ThorntonGeorge Calombaris VOLVO:Matt ShirvingtonDavid IrelandMatt GiteauJim Stynes 

The Swedish brand hit an all-time low of just 2600 sales in 2003 and has been rebuilding since, firstly with its Bloody Volvo Driver advertising push and now with new models. It has just updated its XC90 all-wheel-drive wagon, has the C70 coupe-convertible almost ready for Australia and is also preparing a new S80 flagship. It will also take a new tack next year with the compact C30, which will run up against a new range of rivals, including the BMW 1-Series and Volkswagen Golf. "There has been a fair bit of development work in the past few years and it's not slowing down," says Todd Hallenbeck, Australian spokesman for Volvo. "This is the most product active Volvo has ever been. "The C70 will be about the middle of November and the S80 will be early in the first quarter of 2007. They are both totally new. The C30 will also be along in the first quarter of '07 as well." Hallenbeck says Volvo has been in retreat since the start of the noughties but believes the newcomers will drive it forward in a product-driven business. The first two have the potential to lift sales by at least 1000 cars, but the C30 is still an unknown. "Two thousand six hundred was the low point for the brand," he says. "This year's target is slightly over 4000 cars. Next year it's a bit higher. Considering we have C70 and S80 and C30 for most of next year the target is a bit higher. It's a challenge." Volvo Australia has already previewed the C70 at the Melbourne Motor Show and will have the S80 and C30 for the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney at the end of next month. There has been a delay on the flagship because of a six-month lag between the start of left-hand-drive production and the first right-hand-drive cars and Hallenbeck admits it has been frustrating in Australia. "We have been screaming and yelling for it," he says. "We need to position it as a legitimate prestige car against the BMW 5-Series and Audi A6. "We think the V8 and all-wheel drive will give it a strong presence in the sector. Particularly at the price we are thinking of." The new C70 will end the days for separate coupes and convertibles in the Volvo range as it becomes one of the new-age coupe-convertibles with a folding metal roof and priced from $69,000. Further into the future, Volvo will have a 2.4-litre engine with 135kW for the C30 and is also looking at making the car its diesel hero. "It is still under review, but very much on the want list is the diesel," Hallenbeck says. But there are still a few secrets that Volvo is holding on to. "We haven't announced anything beyond the C30, yet," Hallenbeck says.