Volvo News
-
While other automakers are moving away from plug-in hybrids to electric powertrains, Volvo is finding unexpected success with its lineup of plug-in hybrids. At a recent roundtable with journalists in Sweden, Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson said the company is disappointed that it underestimated demand for its plug-in hybrids. DON'T MISS: Volvo XC90, XC60 T8 plug-in hybrids add electric miles for 2020 "We are not happy because we could sell more [plug-in hybrids]," he said, according to Automotive News (subscription required.) "We underestimated the demand." He said the company did not have a big...
-
Plug-in cars and concepts at Geneva, Tesla Model Y and Superchargers: The Week in Reverse
Which new electric car may be able to recharge 240 miles in less than five minutes? What is the bestselling electric car in the world, and what milestone did it pass this week? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending March 8...
Eric C. Evarts -
Audi Q4 e-tron, Honda electrifies Europe, Polestar and tariffs: Today's Car News
Audi reveals its third electric SUV in Geneva. Honda announces plans to electrify its European lineup. A startup automaker with Porsche connections plans to introduce an electric car with even faster charging than Porsche. Plans for Volvo's Polestar brand could be in flux due to trade tariffs. And...
Eric C. Evarts -
Volvo taking on Tesla with Chinese-built Polestar 2 electric car: details and photos
Ahead of the Geneva auto show, Volvo’s Polestar electrified performance-car brand has revealed its first all-electric model and first volume-production model, the Polestar 2. The Polestar could prove to be the strongest alternative yet to the Tesla Model 3, with pricing, range, performance...
Bengt Halvorson -
Volvo's Polestar 2 electric car, plug-in Jeeps, Honda e Prototype: Today's Car News
Honda showed off its e Prototype concept for the upcoming Geneva auto show. Volvo unveiled its first all-electric car, the Polestar 2, and we compared it with the Tesla Model 3 Fiat Chrysler announced a new $4.5 million investment to lay the groundwork to begin producing plug-in versions of all of...
Eric C. Evarts -
Poll suggests more Americans might buy an EV—if only they had a place to charge
Almost three-quarters of Americans see electric cars as the future of transportation, according to a new Volvo/Harris poll released Tuesday. In the poll conducted last October, which surveyed 1,510 drivers in the U.S. during the middle of October, including 250 electric-car drivers, 74 percent of...
Eric C. Evarts -
Falling reliability costs the Tesla Model 3 its Consumer Reports recommendation. Could high-speed rail be replaced with high-speed highways? Volvo is pulling depleted batteries out of electric buses to use as energy storage for solar in a large apartment complex in Sweden. Argonne National Lab has developed a smaller, lighter, more efficient electric motor. All this and more on Green Car Reports. In its latest survey, Consumer Reports found that the Tesla Model 3, while very satisfying, isn't very reliable. As California's high-speed rail project devolves from budget and time-line overruns...
-
Green New Deal, Electrify America expansion, Audi e-tron delay: Today's Car News
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ed Markey introduced the outline of a Green New Deal in Congress. Electrify America laid out plans for its second-round roll-out starting later this year. German reports show the launch of the Audi e-tron could be delayed overseas. And the USPS is rolling out electric...
Eric C. Evarts -
Geely announces first electric car aimed at global markets
In time with the Detroit auto show, Chinese automaker Geely announced its first electric car planned to go on sale worldwide. Called the GE11, Geely's first global electric car is a sedan about the size of a Honda Civic or Insight, with a similar sloping fastback design. The company did not specify...
Eric C. Evarts -
2019 Toyota Prius AWD price, more VW electrics, French protests: Today's Car News
Toyota announced pricing for the new 2019 Prius AWD-e. In trade talks with the Trump administration, VW's CEO revealed the company could use Ford factories in the U.S. to build new models—which could include electric cars. Rioters in France this month won what they wanted: a reprieve from...
Eric C. Evarts -
Volvo goes off the grid, invests in mobile-charging experts Freewire
Volvo Cars has announced an investment in Freewire Technologies, a company that emphasizes mobile charging solutions. Freewire earlier this year attracted a $5 million investment from the petro-giant BP, which will result in Freewire’s fast-charging systems being installed at some BP stations...
Bengt Halvorson -
Report: Volvo's parent company in talks with Toyota over hybrid systems
Toyota revealed on Thursday that it is in talks with Chinese automaker Geely, which owns Volvo, about cooperation on hybrid vehicle technology, Reuters reported. As the company that has sold by far the most hybrids worldwide, the discussions could involve selling Toyota hybrid technology in Geely...
Eric C. Evarts -
In the latest ranking of automaker self-driving systems, Tesla's popular Autopilot system ranked second to Cadillac's Super Cruise system. The ratings come from Consumer Reports, which tested the cars on its test track and on local highways, in both lead and following positions. The organization rated the systems on their capability and ease of use; how they ensured that drivers stay engaged and don't become complacent; and to what degree the systems allow drivers to engage them in circumstances where they're not designed to be used. Consumer Reports noted that none of the systems qualify as...
-
Charging cord for 2019 Volvo XC60 T8 plug-in hybrid may start fire, will be recalled
A certain charging cord included in a small number of 2019 Volvo XC60 crossover SUVs may overheat and shock owners, or start a fire, the automaker said this month. Volvo announced a recall for 35 Volvo XC60 T8 crossover SUVs earlier this month to replace the charging cords. The small number of...
Aaron Cole -
Volvo confirms Polestar 2 electric "sedan"
A Volvo executive has revealed a few details of the Polestar 2, an electric sedan that will follow next year's Polestar 1 performance coupe. The Polestar 2 will be a sedan and is expected to debut sometime in 2019, according to an interview that British publication Autocar conducted with Polestar...
Eric C. Evarts -
Volvo XC40 crossover SUV to be company's first all-electric car
The Volvo XC40 is the automaker's first all-electric car hiding in plain sight, according to the automaker. Volvo's chief designer and Polestar head, Thomas Ingenlath, confirmed to British magazine AutoCar last week that the new XC40 will be the first Volvo available with an all-electric...
Eric C. Evarts -
Volvo's electrification push expanding to every corner of the market
When it launches its 2019 Volvo S60 T8 Polestar Engineered next year, the Swedish automaker will nearly complete a startling turn toward electrification in less than a decade that began with a small-volume wagon in 2011 and will soon incorporate a full battery electric vehicle and every model in...
Aaron Cole -
Volvo ditches diesel, but will half its cars be electric by 2024?
Volvo says it is going all-in on electric cars in an effort to turn the company into something of a Tesla alternative. To that end, the company has announced that half its cars will be battery electric models by 2024, according to a report in Road & Track earlier this year. It has also...
Eric C. Evarts -
Volvo has confirmed its second electric car for the brand will be a version of the V40 compact hatchback it plans to unveil within the year. Much like the all-electric Volkswagen e-Golf version of the standard Golf, Volvo will roll out a conventional version of its V40 hatchback on the new compact platform, then follow it up with an all-electric model at a later date. That car will be the third battery-electric model to use the company's Compact Modular Architecture (CMA), which now underpins the 2019 Volvo XC40 small crossover. DON'T MISS: 2019 Volvo XC40 small SUV to become brand's first...
-
2018 Volvo XC90 plug-in hybrid SUV: bigger battery, slight range boost
It's a shock to realize that the Volvo XC90 large luxury SUV is now in its third model year. The first new Volvo in more than five years when it debuted in 2016, the seven-seat XC90 was an entirely new design that redefined luxury in a Swedish vein and won numerous awards, including North American...
John Voelcker -
Polestar's second, third cars will be all-electric, one to challenge Tesla Model 3
While Tesla works out the production bottlenecks that plague the Model 3, rivals continue to gear up to challenge the Silicon Valley maker's more affordable electric car. Specifically, Tesla's latest announced competitor comes from the new brand at Volvo Cars Group, named Polestar, which has become...
Sean Szymkowski -
Volvo's new Polestar electric-car brand to launch 600-hp model in 2019
Polestar, formerly Volvo's in-house tuning division, was recently separated from the Swedish brand; Volvo plans to turn it into a standalone brand. Polestar announced plans to build electric and electrified performance cars in the near future, and the brand revealed its first attempt with what it...
Sean Szymkowski -
Car subscription services to take 1 of 5 sales by 2023, Volvo CEO says
The 2019 Volvo XC40 not only represents the Swedish brand's first compact crossover to be sold in the U.S. but its first shot at a new model for drivers to obtain cars: a subscription service. During the XC40 launch, Volvo revealed it would introduce Care by Volvo, a subscription service giving...
Sean Szymkowski -
2019 Volvo XC40 small SUV to become brand's first electric car
Two years ago, the Volvo XC90 large SUV launched to widespread acclaim and awards as the Sino-Swedish brand's first all-new vehicle in six years. It was followed by the S90 sedan and V90 wagon in 2017, filling out its large luxury lineup. The 2018 Volvo XC60 mid-size crossover utility is now...
John Voelcker