Volvo to Split S60 Lineup with T5 AWD Model

Volvo has added a new, lineup-splitting T5 AWD version of its S60 sedan, one of the brand’s few successful U.S. offerings. John Maloney, Volvo’s new U.S. president, revealed the information during an interview at the Detroit auto show. The T5 AWD announcement is hardly exciting stuff, but in light of recent subtractions from its U.S. lineup, any news that involves the addition of new models is potentially good for Volvo.

The new S60 T5 AWD will occupy the space—and find a home somewhere within the rather sizable $7150 price gap—between the $32,175 base FWD T5 model and the $39,325 AWD T6 variant. The T5 AWD will be powered by the same 250-hp turbocharged inline-five as the front-driver. (The T6—a very finicky example of which we have in our long-term stable—is powered by a smooth turbocharged 300-hp inline-six.) This new T5 will allow Volvo to counter competitors’ base-engine all-wheel-drive models, which include the BMW 328i xDrive and Audi A4 Quattro. The S60 T5 AWD goes on sale this summer, and exact pricing information will be available closer to its release.

Read More: http://blog.caranddriver.com/volvo-to-split-s60-lineup-with-t5-awd-model/

Volvo Boss: Five-Door V40 Hatch “Probably Not” Coming to the U.S., New XC90 Again Confirmed for 2014

Volvo’s upcoming V40 hatchback is set to debut at the 2012 Geneva auto show, but it will “probably not” come to the U.S., the company’s CEO, Stefan Jacoby, told us recently.

The hatchback, which is based on architecture evolved from the jointly used platform underpinning the S40 sedan, Ford Focus, and Mazda 3, doesn’t fit into the company’s product plans in the States. Volvo said in the past year that it would delete both the S40 sedan and the V50 wagon from its U.S. product lineup; the C70 convertible, meanwhile, has been given an expiration date of January 1, 2014, and no replacement has been confirmed. We’ve even heard that the C30 hatchback, a three-door car that’s not terribly practical, may bite the bullet globally.

Jacoby explained that Volvo is paring its U.S. lineup to focus on its volume products: the S60 sedan, the XC70 wagon, and the XC60 and XC90 crossovers. In relative terms, Volvo is a small company—it sold roughly 67,000 cars in the U.S. in 2011, compared to about 306,000 by BMW—and can’t support marketing, sales, and service for a broad range of products.

Read More: http://blog.caranddriver.com/volvo-boss-five-door-v40-hatch-probably-not-coming-to-the-u-s-new-xc90-again-confirmed-for-2014