A new performance saloon from the Swedish auto manufacturer Volvo will be unveiled sometime in the next two years.

The S80 High Performance Concept (HPC), designed by the German Volvo dealer Heico Sportiv, is set to debut at the SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) show in Las Vegas next month. The biggest automotive specialty products trade event, SEMA will run from October 30 to November 2 this year.

“We wanted to explore how far we could take a special high-performance version of the S80, and Heico’s impressive track record in motor sports and Volvo tuning made them the perfect partner for the job,” said Volvo product chief Lex Kerssemakers.

The Swedish auto maker presented the new concept car to motoring journalists before the Frankfurt motor show last week.

Running on biofuel, the S80 is a turbocharged engine that has 350 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and produces 550 Nm of torque between 1500 and 4000 rpm.

To complete its upgrading of Volvo parts to a proper performance saloon, Heico decreased the car’s height by 40 millimeters, enhanced the Volvo brakes, and fitted 20-inch alloy wheels with 255-profile Continental tires.

The S80 HPC sports seven layers of metallic paint that took two weeks to apply. The body kit includes modified front and rear bumpers, Volvo spoiler on the front and rear, integrated LED daytime running lights, and a new sports Volvo grille.

The interior of the car is covered in blue leather throughout. The current S80’s three-seat bench in the rear has been replaced with two bucket-style seats and an extended center console which mirrors the car’s floating console up front.

The future of the S80 HPC relies on the reception of the audience in Las Vegas in October. According to Volvo spokesperson Per-Ake Froberg, the Swedish auto company will enter the US market for hot saloons if there is a clear customer demand.
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Marking its 100th year of manufacturing engines and Volvo engine parts, Volvo Cars Engines in Skövde, Sweden has started its seven-day celebration on Saturday with an open house for Volvo employees and their families.

“Some 3,000 people visited the engine plant. All in all, there were approximately 7,000 visitors at both of the Volvo companies,” said Annelie Kinell, member of the celebration committee.

Among the many activities lined up for the seven-day celebration are lectures, yoga, walk and quiz competition, and a visit to the Volvo Museum in Skövde.

The celebration has been organized in partnership with Volvo Powertrain, which is owned by AB Volvo. AB Volvo is the leading manufacturer of automobiles and Volvo parts.

The Volvo Cars Engine has a rich history. Sköfde Gjuteri (foundry) & Mechanical Workshop was founded back in 1868. The first engine, called Penta, was produced in 1907 and designed by Edvard Hubendick.

In 1927, the same year in which Volvo was founded, 297 engines were produced and delivered to Volvo in Gothenburg. Things thereafter have come a long way. As of June 14 of this year, the 15 million engines have been produced.

Other milestones of the Volvo Cars Engines were the opening of the foundry in 1951 and East plant in 1991, as well as the production of the first five-cylinder diesel engine in 2001.

Now, the Volvo Cars Engines prides itself of being the maker of engines, the most important Volvo auto parts. Today, Volvo Cars Engine includes an engine production in Skövde, component production in Floby, and assembly plants in Torslanda, Uddevalla, and Gent in Belgium.
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A sport package option that will provide a sportier and more refined look for Volvo cars has now arrived in Canada.

Volvo will introduce the R-DESIGN option packages on the C30, S40, and V50 models in its lineup for 2009. The R-DESIGN package is a replacement and improvement to the Volvo’s current Sport trim levels. It is an exclusive factory-fitted options package for Volvo owners who want their car with refined attributes, according to the Swedish auto company. The new option features an array of distinct sports-inspired interior and exterior details to the Sport and SE Sport variants.

“R-design is entirely in line with the accelerated focus on making our cars more extrovert and emotional. It gives the buyers the opportunity to spice up the already distinct personality of these car models,” said Steve Mattin, Senior Vice President and Design Director at Volvo Cars.

The exterior design sports an R-DESIGN badge in various Volvo parts such as the Volvo grille, color coordinated body kit, rear roof Volvo spoiler, silver matt finish front grille and wing mirrors, unique five spoke 17-inch alloy wheels for Sport models and 18-inch alloy wheels for SE Sport. There is also a decotrim on the tailgate of the C30 and V50. Also, Volvo customers can choose among 10 exterior colors.

The interior design features a two-tone black and cream upholstery with contrast stitching and embossed R-DESIGN logo, leather trimmed steering wheel with R-DESIGN logo, a unique aluminum R-DESIGN centre stack, blue instrument dials, sports pedals, and tufted dark Volvo floor mats with cream leather seams.

The R-DESIGN package will be available in both Sport and SE Sport guise.
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