Although Volvo did not show any new automobiles or products during the Chicago Auto Show, they were able to strike the hearts of the people who were there. Volvo ran a campaign regarding pet safety.

The Volvo XC90 seems to be the favorite among pet owners, what with “dogs hopping in and out of the XC90.” This certain Volvo model is apparently suited for pets, since it has the option to have factory-installed cages to go with it. The popular car maker is said to team up with Bark Buckle Up, founder by Christina Selter, is a group which promotes safer travels for pets. The said group can be found in San Diego.

Bark Buckle Up aims to educate car owners regarding the use of cages while traveling. Alternatively, pet harnesses can also be used, as they can be threaded through the safety belts. To start spreading the word about safe travels for pets, Bark Buckle Up said they will give a hundred pet safety restraints for free. This will take place at the San Diego International Auto Show in December.

source: Houston Chronicle –>

The Volvo Cars of North America, LLC informs that their sales in the United States market had increased by 2.8 percent as compared to January of last year. There were a total of 8,036 units sold for the period. It is apparent that the Volvo XC70 model has been received positively by both the media and the consumers. Volvo’s sale for the crossover continues to be impressive and powerful.

For January 2008, the S40 managed to have sell 1,519 units which was an increase compared to last year as well. Last year, there were only 1,377 units of S40 sold. The S60 also enjoyed a good number of sales, with 1,713 units sold; Last year the sales for that model were only 1,235 units. The aforementioned XC70 was also in the list of increased number of units sold compared to last year.

Volvo Cars of North America, LLC is established in Irvine, California. They operate as a subsidiary of Volvo Car Corporation of Gotenberg, Sweden. One of their roles is to provide marketing, parts, sales, service, training support and technology to the retailers in United States with Volvo automobile. Another part of their task is to keep an eye on the operations of Volvo in the following countries: Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico.

source: Fox Business –>

The highly recognized international awards in the concept of sports design, the fourth annual Volvo SportDesign Awards, had already announced their winners. The grand awarding ceremony took place at the IMC center in Munich. The theme for this year was “EcoDesign – Form follows sustainability.” The theme’s focal point was the various innovative ideas in the eco design portion. There were more then 300 hundred entries that came for this year’s SportDesign Awards, from different international companies known worldwide. Andrej Kupetz, the head of the German Design Council, had spoken in behalf of the entire panel of judges. He said, “All the submitted works for their internationality as well as their great amount of diversity that is unusual for a design award for sporting equipment. From an ecological perspective, the sports industry has made great progress. People are getting the message behind the EcoDesign theme. The blend of sustainability and design will continue to range high on the future agenda of designers and the entire industry.”

The winners of the Volvo SportDesign contest came from different countries such as Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, and the United States of America. There were eight different categories for the awards. The winners are the following:

Outdoor Equipment: Nextec srl., OutDry® membrane system for water-proofing footwear, Italy
Ski Equipment: Grown Skis, Wooden Skis, Germany
Board Equipment: Amer-Salomon, Salomon Snowboards, SickStick, France
Apparel: Klättermusen, Einride Jacket, Sweden
Wheelers: Essedum, CycleCaddy Waggon, Germany
Accessories: Plantaplast, BioGolfTee, Austria
Concepts: Max Koriath, “schöner bootfahren”, Weissensee School of Art Berlin, Germany

Aside from the above mentioned awards, USA was also given a special award. The award was:

Special Award “EcoBrand of the Year”: Patagonia, USA

Alongside the Volvo SportDesign Awards is the 7th Volvo SportDesign Forum. This took place during the 2008 edition of the sports trade fair ispo. In the said forum, the visitors would be able to get a large amount of details and information about sustainability when presentations are and panel discussions are made, and when workshops and exhibitions take place.

sources: Design Taxi and SportDesign at ispo –>