Say good bye to the boxy design and wave hello to the all-new Volvo XC60, which comes off looking sleeker and sportier. It’s not all about an impressive exterior, though. This particular model is claimed to be the safest Volvo car ever made. The reason behind this claim? The new City Safety. It is a safety system that’s one of its kind. The City Safety makes it possible to help reduce the effects of low-speed impacts which often occur in city traffic as well as traffic tailbacks. This is set off when the car is about to have a collision with another vehicle and the driver does not get to respond quickly. When this happens, the car is able to put on the brakes all by itself. Fredrik Arp, he CEO and President of Volvo Cars Corp., said, “We are the first manufacturer in the world to offer this type of feature as standard. City Safety clearly shows that the new Volvo XC60 is the safest car Volvo has ever produced. The car is packed with our accumulated safety know-how and technology, both when it comes to preventing accidents and protecting all the occupants in a collision.”

The new Volvo XC60 offers three different types of engines: the turbocharged T6 and two variants of the D5 turbodiesel. The turbocharged T6 is able to produce 285 PS. One D5 turbodiesel engine is able to produce 185 hp while the other is capable of giving off 163 hp. It has a four-wheel drive as a standard. Arp said, “During 2009, we will offer a front-wheel driven 2.4-litre version powered by a Euro 5 diesel engine producing 163 horsepower and with a CO2 target around 170 g/km.”

The sales of this particular Volvo model will begin in Europe during the second half of this year. For North America, sales can be expected early 2009. China, Germany, Great Britain, Russia, and the USA will be five of the largest markets throughout 2010, the peak year. The place of production for the Volvo XC60 is in Ghent, Belgium. The units will be arriving in the showrooms of UK dealers come October of this year.

source: Car Pages

The planning of the 2009 Volvo XC60 started early in the summer. The brainstorming of this new model included the hatching of interesting details, innovation ideas and inspiring designs to be used. The upcoming Volvo is a mixture of the different types of cars. Steve Mattin, Volvo Cars’ Design Director, has said that this Volvo has a “very bold, muscular XC feel” to it but at the same time is “very sleek… charismatic lines of almost a coupe.” The design innovation of the anticipated Volvo XC60 will give insight to the way future Volvo cars would look and feel. The elements included in the XC60 will be important, since it will determine some of the factors that the forthcoming Volvo cars will produce. Volvo is expected to bring in the new model to the public some time soon in the market. Although no definite date was given, the Volvo CX60 was already seen in Sweden, on a lake in the Arctic Circle. It already went through a test drive.

This model is supposedly based on the Land Rover LR (Freelander 2) and would utilize the same DOHC 3.2-liter six-cylinder. The 2009 XC60 was spotted to have LED rear tail lights and a deep rear window, which possibly helps in terms of visibility. Its lower body was reported to be wide, with the upper section giving off a sporty yet stylish design. The tail lights are located at the corners of the roof with the glass tailgate. The glass tailgate can be opened in three various ways. It can open fully, just on the top section or the lower section.

The interior of the vehicle is made up of tanned leather and aluminum. It also has the so-called “floating” center (the console and dashboard) that it is popularly known for. The controls do not become visible. Not until the vehicle had started. It is made to be spacious, able to have a five adult-seating with plenty of space for the luggage.

This new XC model has an electronically-controlled four-wheel drive system. This certain type of Volvo sports a 230 hp at 6,300 rpm. It also has a 234 lb.-ft of torque at 3,300 rpm. Its 3.2-liter six-cylinder engine runs on a fuel which is emission-reducing bio-ethanol.

Source: Left Lane News

The Swedish automaker Volvo will soon have its Volvo XC60 concept car launched in the coming MPH shows in London and Birmingham happening in November. This concept car from Volvo is actually a crossover vehicle which merges the versatility of the all-wheel-drive of a Volvo XC model with the sporty appeal of a sleek coupe. However, this is still not the launch of the future vehicle of Volvo as this is just a peek. Car enthusiasts will still have to wait for early 2009, where it is expected to hit UK showrooms.

It could be remembered that this Volvo concept car was first revealed in January of this year during the Detroit Motor Show. This concept car was intensively designed and worked on by the people at the Volvo Car’s Concept Center for four months. The Volvo XC60 concept car was finished earlier than planned because it was expected that the XC60 concept will take about eight months even with the teamwork of 70 member of the staff. This staff includes expert in milling techniques, sheet metal worker, upholstery experts, technicians, lathe operators, and engineers. The result could only be quality Volvo auto parts that will be made standard to the upcoming Volvo model. Volvo enthusiast will surely be happy with the Volvo engine parts this XC60 will soon have under its bonnet.

Visitors to the upcoming MPH Show will be able to view the Volvo XC60 Concept for the first time. They’ll be given a peek at all the new design cues of Volvo which will apparently be the design of future Volvos as well such as the expressive and well-sculptured Volvo tail lights, Volvo’s broad muscular shoulders, and a bigger version of the Volvo iron mark found on its front Volvo grille. This Volvo concept vehicle will be a part of the all-wheel-drive lineup of Volvo which also includes the Volvo XC70 and XC90.

Besides having a peek at the Volvo XC60 concept vehicle, the show-goers will also be given the opportunity to check out the all-new Volvo V70 and XC70 premium estates together with the smart Volvo S40 saloon in its new R-Design Sport specifications and the C30 Sports Coupe. These models are all aprt of the shows gallery.