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Volvo is joining together with Spotify to increase entertainment applications in their vehicles!

Spotify takes on radio with Volvo vehicle integration

Cars continue to be a focal point for technology companies, and now music service Spotify is prepping integration with Volvo's line of automobiles. Wired reports that the vice president of Volvo's Electrical and Electronic Systems engineering, Thomas M. Müller, revealed the plans. The move into automobiles would not only put Spotify in competition with services like Pandora that are already seeping into that market, but up against satellite and terrestrial radio as well.

There's no timeline provided for the introduction of the Spotify integration, but according to Wired the service will likely be used in conjunction with Ericsson's Connected Vehicle Cloud service. Essentially an application development environment aimed at automobiles, Connected Vehicle Cloud will let manufacturers create various types of entertainment applications and get them into cars. The first release, scheduled for 2014, will use a driver's phone as a modem in order to connect to the internet. A version with a built-in modem will come to market in 2016.

 

Courtesy of The Verge

What better way to get ready for the approaching new year than with a new Volvo?

This 2013 C30 Hatchback is a perfect choice for winter months, coming with a climate package that includes heated seats! Click here to see more pictures or request more information on this awesome vehicle.

A block of ice is masterfully sculpted into the S60 right before our eyes!

Volvo teams up with Ericsson to put smart-car technology in future vehicles!

Volvo cloud-connected cars promised with Ericsson deal

Volvo and Ericsson want to get your next car talking to the cloud, with a deal that will see future Volvos navigating through the Connected Vehicle Cloud as they do the mean streets. The system – which will stretch to all of the countries Volvo sells in – will support app downloads to the dashboard and two-way interaction with vendors and other services, in addition to safety features such as Volvo has explored in self-driving vehicles and  road-trains.

According to Volvo, the dashboard will soon offer the same sort of digital services as drivers are familiar with from home or work. Information, navigation, and entertainment will all be offered from a central screen, and Volvo will be looking to third-party providers such as internet radio, road authorities, governments, toll-road operators, and others, to tie in with the system.

The connection between Ericsson’s Connected Vehicle Cloud system and the individual cars will be encrypted, so as to preserve security – a virus in your dashboard is probably something best avoided – and there’s an ambitious roadmap for developing the technology. Volvo has a history of driver behavior and traffic safety tracking, and elements of each will be integrated with future versions.

 

Courtesy of Slash Gear

The Volvo Holiday Sales event is sure to get everyone into the spirit of the season!

Volvo looks to reduce fuel consumption and increase safety with their futuristic convoys!

 

VOLVO TRUCKS TAKES THE LEAD WITH TOMORROW’S WIRELESS ROAD TRAINS

Using wireless technology to link a road train, in which a lead truck controls a convoy of vehicles driving behind it, is now technically feasible. The technology was demonstrated at the conclusion of the Safe Road Trains for the Environment (SARTRE) project, which Volvo Trucks participated in.

Although it may take some time for wireless road trains to be part of everyday reality, the technology brought about through the project could be put to use for other purposes in order make our traffic environment considerably safer in the near future.

The EU-financed SARTRE project recently presented the results of three years of research and trials. Representatives from the EU Commission and experts in transport technology from Europe, the US and Japan got to see a fully functioning wireless road train in operation at Volvo’s proving ground in Sweden. In the lead was a Volvo FH truck, closely followed by another Volvo truck and three cars.

Self-driving cars in road trains The participants were able to see that the project’s aims had been achieved: development of a technology for wireless road trains that can improve traffic safety, reduce the environmental impact of road traffic and improve traffic flow. The building of test vehicles, car-to-car communication and sensors for the control of nearby vehicles has been underway for three years.

Now these technical achievements make it possible for multiple vehicles in a road train to integrate smoothly with other traffic on public motorways. The entire road train is interconnected through wireless technology, which ensures that the trailing cars follow exactly in the track of the lead vehicle – as though the train consisted of a single vehicle. The result is that the driver in a trailing car can relax, perhaps read a book or watch TV, while the car drives itself.

“The gaps between the vehicles are much smaller than in normal traffic, but it is as safe, or even safer to be part of the road train, since it is lightning-quick computers and not human beings who respond to even the slightest change in any of the cars in the train,” explains Andreas Ekfjorden, project manager for Volvo Trucks’ portion of the SARTRE project.

One of Volvo Trucks’ most important responsibility areas in the project was to determine exactly what information needs to be transmitted back down the road train so that the other cars can follow the lead truck.

“All the vehicles in the road train have a roof-mounted antenna so they can receive information from the lead vehicle’s computer system. For instance, if the lead truck starts braking, all the other vehicles in the train brake at exactly the same time,” relates Andreas Ekfjorden.

The lead truck is also equipped with an alcolock and the full range of active and passive safety systems that Volvo has in production today.

Safer and more economical The purpose of SARTRE – to increase safety and decrease fuel consumption – is the reason that Volvo Trucks chose to participate in the project. It is the cars’ fuel consumption that drops the most as a result of the reduced air drag in the compact convoy of vehicles, but the lead truck’s fuel consumption is also cut. This will make it profitable for haulage firms to provide lead trucks. Vehicles that join the convoy could pay a fee, thus benefiting the haulage firm.

What is more, the results of the SARTRE project show clearly that a truck with a trained driver and comprehensive equipment package contributes to heightened traffic safety that actually benefits other road users.

“It’s fantastic that a truck driver can drive from A to B with at least one car trailing behind, while at the same time cutting both fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. And, not least, that he can replace several car drivers and thus boost safety,” says Lennart Pilskog, director public affairs at Volvo Trucks.

Future challenges remain However, although the SARTRE project has developed well-functioning road train prototypes there are still challenges that have to be overcome before the system can become an everyday reality. For instance, it is necessary to continue working to boost reliability, which must be on a par with that of an aircraft’s autopilot before road trains can emerge as a truly viable transport solution on public roads.

Another challenge that remains is the transition from driving in a convoy to manual driving and vice-versa. It has to be absolutely clear who is responsible for driving a trailing vehicle and exactly when that responsibility is transferred. This is not merely a technical issue, a lot depends on driver acceptance and the necessary feeling of safety and security.

Legislation is another vital issue that requires further attention. According to the Vienna Convention it is illegal not to have control over one’s own vehicle. This means that automated driving is not allowed. Adapting both the Vienna Convention and the national legislation of the various EU member states is estimated to take about ten years.

“Despite legislative challenges, there are so many benefits to be derived from road trains – in terms of traffic flow, safety, the environment and not least haulage firm profitability – that I believe this will become a reality in one form or another,” states Lennart Pilskog.

Although it may take time for wireless road trains to become a reality, applying the technology in other areas could mean the research results are put to use in the near future. The new communication technology, that is to say wireless car-to-car and car-to-infrastructure, may be used in both cars and trucks for a wide variety of purposes such as to provide warnings about accidents, obstacles or ice on the road.

“It’s a lot like being able to look around the corner, it’ll be a major help in improving safety on the road,” concludes Lennart Pilskog.

 

Courtesy of 3D Car Shows

Volvo manages to go green, and keep up their rigorous safety standards!

Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid - highest safety score ever for an electrified car in Euro NCAP

Volvo Car Group has a philosophy that an electrified car should be as safe as any other new Volvo car. This is now highlighted by the latest Euro NCAP results. The new Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid has achieved the highest- ever score for a plug-in hybrid. The five stars in the recent test, which included a frontal offset collision at 64 km/h (40 mph), demonstrates that the V60 Plug-in Hybrid has the same high safety level as the standard V60.

"We apply the same high standards to all our products. The Euro NCAP score demonstrates that the ingenious V60 Plug-in Hybrid features the same outstanding safety level as the standard car," says Jan Ivarsson, Senior Manager Safety Strategy & Requirements at Volvo Car Group.

The European rating institute Euro NCAP presents an overall rating for each car model tested. Separate tests are carried out in four sub-categories, which are used to produce an overall grade.

Unique safety approach

The integration of the battery pack and the added weight the batteries create required a unique safety approach during the development of the V60 Plug-in Hybrid. The structure has been modified and reinforced to enable a controlled deformation to help provide a high safety level. The battery pack in the V60 Plug-in Hybrid is well encapsulated and located under the load floor.

"The Plug-in Hybrid has been exposed to an extensive test programme during the development phase, as all our new car models," says Jan Ivarsson. "This includes full-scale crash tests with different load cases, such as frontal collision, rear and side collisions to verify that also the battery technology fulfils our stringent safety requirements. The V60 Plug-in Hybrid also offers all unique Volvo active safety functions, such as City Safety, Collision Warning with full Auto Brake and Pedestrian Detection."

Sold out in advance

Production of the new V60 Plug-in Hybrid is ramping up and the first 1,000 'Pure Limited' cars were sold out even before they reached the showrooms. After this initial production of cars for model year 2013, production of the Plug-in Hybrid will increase to 4,000-6,000 cars for model year 2014 - and next year's build slots are already filling up.

The Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid is the synthesis of close cooperation between Volvo Car Group and Swedish electricity supplier Vattenfall. The two companies have financed the development project jointly.

Three cars in one

The driver of the V60 Plug-in Hybrid need make no compromise in their motoring by using the car's three driving modes: Pure, Hybrid and Power. Fuel consumption is just 1.8 l/100 km (48 g/km CO2) in Hybrid mode (NEDC driving cycle).

In addition, the driver can choose to cover up to 50 kilometres on electric power with zero tailpipe emissions - or release the combined capacity of the diesel engine and electric motor to create a performance drivers car delivering 215+70 horsepower, 440+200 Nm of torque and acceleration from 0-100 km/h in 6.1 seconds.

 

Courtesy of Autoblog Green

Everyone could use a great deal now and then, so we created the Volvo Holiday Sales Event!

We are offering a special lease deal on the S60 with $0 due at signing, plus payments of only $359/month for 24 months! To top it all off, Volvo will make your first payment. Click here to see our inventory for this Sign & Drive Event.

Volvo has big plans for 2014, starting with the debut of the next-generation XC90!

Next Volvo XC90 Set For Late 2014 Debut

Volvo has confirmed that its next-generation XC90 will be launched at the end of 2014, the first of several new models based around a modular platform known as SPA or Scalable Product Architecture.

The automaker also confirmed that it is replacing its current family of engines with a new family of four-cylinder engines. The four-cylinder engines are expected to feature direct fuel injection and turbocharging.

Volvo said it is spending half of an $11-billion investment on its next-generation vehicle architecture and engines.

"SPA makes us technologically independent, without any link whatsoever to our previous owner," said Peter Mertens, Volvo senior vice president of research and development, in a statement. "The new architecture covers about two-thirds of our total sales volume.

With about 40 percent of all components shared by all car models irrespective of size, we will benefit from economics of scale, boosting our competitiveness."

 

Courtesy of Edmunds

During Sign & Drive, we are offering a great deal on all of our 2013 C30 Hatchback's!

Our entire inventory of 2013 C30's is available for $0 cash due and only $349 per month for 36 months! Click here to browse our selection and see the amazing standard features that come with these vehicles.