[VIDEO]: Volvo Cars and Polestar: A brief history of the partnership

The partnership between Volvo Cars and Polestar has been one of mutual benefit. Volvo supply Polestar with the optimal foundation for building fast and agile racing cars, and Polestar adds racing experience, and a drive for pushing performance.

Video courtesy of Volvo's YouTube channel.

Take a peek inside the new 2014 Volvo S60. Can you see yourself in it?

Take a peek inside the new 2014 Volvo S60. Can you see yourself in it?


Check out ours in stock at: http://bit.ly/138aW2a

Volvo Starts Production of a New Engine Family

Volvo Car Group is now starting production of the first engine variants in the new, high-efficiency four-cylinder engine family. The development and production take place in-house at Volvo Car Group and form a vital part of the company's strategy for independence.

The strategy of four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines and driveline electrification is the path that Volvo Cars has chosen for the future. With total control over the development and production of engines and drivelines and by reducing the number of engine variants, the result is increased flexibility and greater ability to influence quality.

­"This marks a milestone in Volvo Cars' history. With our new engine family we are focusing on two additional vital properties - driving pleasure and fuel efficiency," says Derek Crabb, Vice President Powertrain Engineering.

Modern production plant with efficient assembly

In Volvo Car Group's engine plant in Skövde, preparations for the production start of the new Volvo Engine Architecture (VEA) engines have been under way for about two years. One of the highlights is a brand-new, state-of-the-art addition to the plant for assembly of the new engines. All the engine versions are built on the same line, which runs through the new part of the plant and makes for very efficient production.

­"One of the biggest challenges was the remodelling of the line for cylinder block processing. 30 machining cells were replaced or converted at a cost of about half a billion kronor," says Oskar Falk, Vice President Global Engine Production.

Billions invested in a competitive engine family

Development and investment in the new engine family is part of a comprehensive expansion plan at Volvo Cars. About two billion kronor was invested in the Skövde plant. This secures operations there and a large number of jobs for a long time to come. The investment is the most important in the engine plant's history.

Developed at Volvo Cars

The new VEA engines were developed by a Swedish team of engineers. The new, smaller engines are optimised and deliver higher performance than today's six-cylinder units, while offering lower fuel consumption than the current generation of four-cylinder units.

"During the development of VEA the starting point was our customers and what we wanted to offer them in regard to good fuel economy, low environmental impact and immense driving pleasure at an attractive price. At the same time, however, it's also about the fact that Volvo Cars gets a sound basis for developing future-generation technologies featuring fuel economy of absolute world class," says Derek Crabb.

Launched this autumn

VEA consists of four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines. Together with driveline electrification, VEA replaces the previous eight engine architectures on three different platforms. The new engines will be introduced between 2013 and 2015. Almost 20,000 engines will be produced in 2013, and by the end of the year the production pace will be 2000 units a week. The first variants will be fitted to the Volvo S60, V60, XC60, V70, XC70 and S80 in autumn 2013.

Article and image courtesy of Volvo News.

[VIDEO]: Upgrade your Volvo with Internet access and stay connected on the road

The Volvo Sensus Connected Touch is a simple and safe way to stay connected with music, traffic information, parking availability, and more. Through our "command and control features" -- such as voice control, steering wheel button controls and touch interface -- you'll stay in control with safety in mind.

Video courtesy of Volvo's YouTube channel.

[VIDEO]: Cross Traffic Alert Overview - Volvo S60

When situations arise which put your better judgement in question, it's nice to know Volvo's got your back.

Video courtesy of Volvo's YouTube channel.

International artists turn Volvo XC60 into a work of art at Volvo Art Session

For the third consecutive year, Volvo Car Switzerland organised the Volvo Art Session at the central train station in Zurich, Switzerland. Over the weekend of June 7-9, both emerging and established artists took part by giving a 2014 Volvo XC60 a completely new look. The final artistic results can now be found online.

The theme of this year's Volvo Art Session in Zurich was "Designed Around You". On stage stood a white XC60 in front of a white dropback canvas. The international artists where invited to paint, spray and design to make their imaginations come alive. At the end of each session they created a three-dimensional work of art that only existed for a short while until the next artist painted over it. The final results of the constant transformation - pictures and clips - can now be found at Volvo Art Session's webpage.

"With the Art Session we want to demonstrate that Volvo Cars is a creative and innovative brand which places people at its heart. This unique art happening also enables us to reach new potential customers who hadn't considered Volvo previously," explains Anouk Poelmann, President of Volvo Car Switzerland.

The first Volvo Art Session was organised with contributing Swiss artists. Last year, the invited artists came from China. This year's event was an exhibition of international artists. "The diversity this year was immense, and this was really noticeable. Positive and creative energy flowed throughout the stage where the artists were working. Passers-by were constantly stopping and taking photographs of the work. Many stayed long enough to see the transformation of the car," explains Anouk Poelmann. Volvo Art Session was held at Zurich's central train station, one of the busiest covered public places in Europe.

The art happening has been documented by well-known Italian photographer Francesco Carrozzini. His images will be published in a photo book later this year. Additionally, the continually changing face of the Volvo XC60 has been captured on a high-end time-lapse camera. The Volvo Art Session can therefore also be enjoyed as a cinematic work.

"In the three years since Volvo Art Session started, the event has grown constantly. We continue to attract more and more attention from both the media and the public. We are also attracting increasing amounts of international attention," Anouk Poelmann adds. This year's event was co-hosted by the UK-based art and style magazine i-D.

This year's artists were the renowned German 3-D graffiti artist DAIM, the French-American duo Koralie & Supakitch, the rising street art stars Etam Cru from Poland, the Swiss graphic designer Blanda Eggenschwiler, the Canadian couple Lexr & Evoke, as well as the half-Chinese artist Daniel Man who is based in Germany.

Article and image courtesy of Volvo News.

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