Volvo News

Nearly two billion dollars? Volvo posts massive tariff-induced on-paper loss.

This could be the luxury electric SUV to rule them all.

After eight years in market Volvo’s mid-size, five seat XC60 SUV has been upgraded with slicker multimedia, a cosmetic refresh, new wheel designs and extra colour options.Late last year the Swedish maker shifted its goal of being fully electric by 2030 to “90 to 100 per cent of its global sales volume by 2030 to consist of electrified cars” (BEV and PHEV).So, with more than 1.5M units sold worldwide, an update for this evergreen five-seater, offered here in mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid form, makes sense as the brand continues to massage its global line-up.The main focus of the revamp is a faster multimedia system that’s “more focused and personalised than its predecessor” with additional Google services built-in, accessed via a larger 11.2-inch central touchscreen.In fact, Volvo claims pixel density is increased by 21 per cent and thanks to the ‘Snapdragon Cockpit Platform’, developed by US specialist Qualcomm Technologies, the system is more than twice as fast as the one it replaces with 10 times faster graphics generation. At the same time an exterior makeover includes a revised grille, new wheel options and darker tail-lights. Three new colours - ‘Forest Lake’, ‘Aurora Silver’ and ‘Mulberry Red’, have also been added to the available palette.Inside, highlight inlays have been given a glow up with trim materials including quilted synthetic leather also added. In terms of practicality, there’s additional cabin storage, new cupholders and a reworked wireless phone charger as well Volvo’ current-gen air purification tech.The refreshed Volvo XC60 is on sale now, offered in two 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-petrol mild-hybrid grades - Plus B5 Bright and Ultra B5 Dark - with two 2.0-litre petrol-electric plug-in hybrids beside them - Plus T8 Plug-in Hybrid Dark and Ultra T8 Plug-in Hybrid Dark. All are all-wheel drive.

China’s Geely, like many carmakers, is privy to rebadging vehicles between its brands.

Euro NCAP’s Technical Manager of Assisted Driving Systems, Adriano Palao, has criticised Tesla’s autopilot software, going so far as to say the suite is “misleading consumers about the system’s capabilities”.The fresh retort of Tesla’s autonomous driving technology comes as Euro NCAP detailed the differences in a variety of similar systems on the market, noting “some systems are more user-centric and safe than others”.Performance testing for the Model S - which is no longer sold in Australia - had the safety body determining that it performed poorly awarding it just 30 per cent for its Assistance Competence score.The Assistance Competence score ranks autonomous features for their performance, clarity of information, how they communicate capability limitations, driver monitoring, and driver collaboration. It is distinguished from the Safety Backup score, which ranks how the systems avoid a collision in a variety of situations, as well as when a sensor is blocked or the driver is unresponsive.The body noted it was jarring the Model S scored an Excellent 94 per cent for its Safety Backup score, but just 30 per cent for Assistance Competence.Euro NCAP said not only does Tesla name the system Autopilot and suggest full automation in its promotional material, but also noted the system’s steering input was resistant to driver attempts to override it, and upon doing so, the entire system automatically disengages, “limiting its usefulness”.The body also noted issues with the centrally-mounted touchscreen, in that the driver had to take their eyes off the road to view alerts.Euro NCAP ultimately said: “Tesla is misleading consumers about their autopilot system’s capabilities simply through its name and marketing, which could have potential safety implications.”Tesla was not the only company marketed on its safety credentials who came under fire in the latest round of autonomous system testing. Even Volvo’s new EX30 crossover was in the firing line, with the safety body earmarking similar concerns about its autonomous driving tech.The EX30 performed better than the Tesla in the Assistance Competence score, landing at 62 per cent, although was marked down for similar reasons to the Model S, it recorded a score less than the Tesla for its Safety Backup, at 72 per cent.Both cars, alongside the MG ZS, were awarded an overall Moderate rating for their active safety suites. Other cars considered in the round of testing included the Kia EV3, Porsche Macan, and Toyota bZ4X, all of which received a Very Good overall score, while the Mazda CX-80 and Xpeng G9 recorded a Good overall rating.Euro NCAP’s latest round of autonomous driving feature testing comes as the technology proliferates across a much wider spectrum of the market. Many brands now spruik some level of autonomous driving through an advanced cruise control suite, although as Euro NCAP notes, not all of these systems are created equal, and just ticking feature boxes does not always result in a safer system.In addition to more thorough testing of autonomous driving systems, Euro NCAP will also include standards for automakers to include physical buttons and dials from 2026, labelling the overuse of touchscreens an “industry-wide problem, raising the risk of distraction crashes”.Euro NCAP said the new protocols will encourage manufacturers to use separate, physical controls for basic functions in an intuitive manner, limiting eyes off-road time and therefore promoting safer driving.Under the new protocols, cars will be marked down by not including physical switches for indicators, hazard lights, the horn, operating windscreen wipers, and activating the SOS function.

It’s EOFY time again!

The new Volvo XC70 has been leaked in homologation filings submitted in China, which show the reborn model will be sold exclusively as a plug-in hybrid SUV.

Volvo has updated its seven-seat XC90 SUV with a suite of design and tech upgrades as it transitions from a three- to a two-variant line-up.On sale in Australia now, the line-up kicks off at $104,990 before on-road costs for the entry-grade Ultra B5 Bright, which is an increase of $5050 on last year’s prices.The Ultra B6 Bright is gone as a mid-range option, with the top-spec Ultra T8 Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) now priced at $130,990 before on-road costs, an increase of $2600.In exchange for the price hikes, the XC90 sports a new look for 2025, emphasised by a new diagonally-striped grille, sharper LED headlight signatures, new front and rear bumpers, side skirts and alloy wheel designs.Inside, both variants gain a larger, higher resolution 11.2-inch central touchscreen with over-the-air software update capabilities.Volvo has also delivered additional storage space in the centre console, including an extra cupholder, thanks to a redesigned dashboard that is more horizontal than before. It comes clad in new-look decorative panels made from recycled materials.No changes have been made to the base Ultra B5 Bright’s 2.0-litre turbo-petrol in-line four-cylinder engine, which comes paired to a 48-volt mild-hybrid system that delivers 183kW/350Nm to all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission.Similarly, no changes have been made to the Ultra T8’s PHEV setup, which utilises the same petrol engine paired to a 107kW/309Nm electric motor and a 19kWh battery pack for total outputs of 340kW/709Nm.Total electric range is claimed at up to 77km, while fuel economy is claimed at 1.8L/100km, a fraction of the Ultra B5 Bright’s claimed 8.2L/100km.As standard, the Ultra B5 Bright carries new 21-inch multi-spoke Black Diamond-cut alloy wheels, keyless entry with a power tailgate, a 12.0-inch digital driver’s display, wireless charging, powered front seats with heating, cooling and memory functions, as well as a surround-view camera.The Ultra T8 PHEV adds new, larger 22-inch wheels, a panoramic sunroof, a Bowers & Wilkins High Fidelity speaker system, active air suspension, tinted rear windows, roof rails in gloss black, fully-coloured sills and bumpers, and black rear-view mirror covers.Standard safety features on both models includes adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, lane centring, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic assist, park assist, hill-start assist, hill-descent control, rain-sensing wipers, and a head-up display.Volvo has sold 209 examples of the XC90 to April this year, a decline of 29.9 per cent compared to the same period last year. It remains outpaced by the BMW X5 (1103), Lexus RX (583) and the Volkswagen Touareg (330).

Volvo is discontinuing one of its electric SUVs in Australia, after only a few years on sale.

Volvo is following the recent trend of carmakers reviving previous nameplates as higher-riding SUVs, and the latest is the XC70.The new Volvo XC70 has been globally revealed and is set to launch in China later this year.At this stage it’s unclear if it will launch in Australia, though the brand has said it’s exploring potential additional markets “at a later stage”.This new Volvo model slots above the XC60 as a slightly larger and more spacious mid-size SUV offering, but still sits beneath the large XC90.It’s built on Volvo’s 'Scalable Product Architecture' (SPA) platform, like the XC60, XC90, S60, and S90, among others.Volvo dubs the XC70 its first “extended-range plug-in hybrid”.While the Swedish-Chinese carmaker hasn’t fully detailed the car’s powertrain, it claims it can travel up to 200km on electric power alone, according to relatively lenient CLTC testing.Accompanying the reveal is a handful of images showing the XC70’s exterior, with Volvo noting more details will be provided in the coming months.At the front the XC70 has a shield-like closed grille similar to the brand’s electric models, and features an active grille shutter.There is also the classic 'Thor’s Hammer' headlight design which features matrix LED technology. This allows the headlights to stay on high-beam for as long as possible, as it can dip certain portions of the beam when it detects oncoming lights oncoming or tail-lights ahead.The XC70’s side profile is distinctly SUV-like, and around the back there are vertical C-shaped tail-lights integrated into the rear window.Volvo is far from the first carmaker to revive nameplates previously used on spacious wagons or people movers, and relaunch them as SUVs.Recent examples include the Ford Mustang Mach-E, Renault Megane E-Tech and Scenic and Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross, among others.The Volvo XC70 nameplate originated as a high-riding and more off-road-focused version of the V70 wagon, much like the Subaru Outback.Initially called the V70 XC, the XC70 name was introduced in 2003 to align with the newly introduced XC90.It was sold in Australia all the way up to 2016 when the model was retired globally.