VOLVO UNVEILED the all-electric C30 BEV at the Frankfurt Motor Show last week, and today the Swedish carmaker has announced plans to have a diesel-electric hybrid vehicle in production by 2012.

Plans for a diesel-electric Volvo hybrid first came to light late last year, when Volvo announced it had been working on a range of [...]

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Swedish tax-payers needn’t worry that recent loans to Volvo is money well spent. Volvo has the highest number of models nominated for the 2009 World Green Car of the Year awards. Five highly efficient DRIVe diesel and E85 Flexifuel Volvo models are featured in the 22-car field.

The Volvo C30 1.6D DRIVe, Volvo S40 1.6D DRIVe, Volvo V50 1.6D [...]

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Volvo has extended the R-Design styling pack to include its XC90 and V70 ranges, a move it says will “increase their dynamic appeal for Australian customers”.

The  R-Design styling pack has been available on the C30, S40 and V50 T5 models for some time now. The latest additions to the R-Design rank include the XC90 3.2, [...]

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With Nissan already confirming a fuel and emissions conscious approach to this year’s Paris Motor Show, Volvo has just announced that it too will be centering its Paris display on a trio of highly-efficient models.

The C30, S40 and V50 on show will all feature a range of Volvo upgrades, designed to improve efficiency and reduce [...]

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Despite being based on the same Ford C1 platform utilised by the Mazda3 and Ford Focus, both of which are available with different body styles, the Volvo C30 has made do exclusively as a hatchback since its release. However, if recent rumours are accurate then that could all be about to change.

Dutch site Autotelegraaf recently [...]

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Volvo have announced the availability of a six-speed dual-clutch transmission (similar to VW’s DSG) on their 2.0-litre turbo-diesel powered models, including the C30, S40 and V50 models. Designed in conjunction with Getrag, the dual-clutch gearbox has been dubbed “Powershift” and Volvo are citing the environment as one of the main reasons for its development.

“According to [...]

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Volvo have announced a series of refinements for their 2008 model year S40 and V50 range. In an effort to increase the visual differentiation between the sedan and wagon variants and in response to owner feedback the following changes have been introduced.

• S40 front with lower, broader stance
• Sportier new grille for V50
• Slimmer tail lamps and new [...]

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We think it’s a little lame but Volvo have decided to abandon their performance ‘R’ models and instead offer customers an R-DESIGN option, which will be available on the C30, S40 and V50 models.

Yes, we are saddened by the demise of the performance ‘R’ models and while the new R-DESIGN offers some attractive cosmetic touches [...]

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