Volvo's project called "Drive Me" plans to have 100 self-driving Volvos to public roads in everyday conditions by 2017.
Watch the video:
Showing posts with label volvo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label volvo. Show all posts
Drive Me: Volvo's groundbreaking autonomous driving project
Volvo Car Malaysia expands into Sarawak
Volvo owners will now be able to service their cars at the two authorised service centres in Sarawak, located in Sibu and Kuching with more locations planned in the future
Greatwall Group of Companies has been appointed as the new 2S representative.
Volvo Concept XC Coupe
The Volvo Concept XC Coupé was unveiled in January at the 2014 Detroit Motor Show. It won the 'Best Concept Car' title as well as the award for 'Best use of Colour, Graphics and Materials'.
The difference between the two-door, four-seater Volvo Concept XC Coupe and the Volvo Concept Coupe include the larger 21-inch wheels, accentuated wheel-arches and a taller roofline.
Seat Belts and the New Volvo coupe concept
"Volvo invented the 3-point belt back in 1959. In our mission to make all car travel safer we gave the idea away, license free, to all manufacturers. It set the standard for safety and the inclusion of this special buckle in the Concept Coupe pays homage to our legacy."
New Volvo coupe concept
Volvo has released pictures and video of their new coupe concept.
It looks fabulous. A number of commentators noted that it looks like the classic Volvo P1800 sports car.
Volvo V40 makes Malaysian debut
The new Volvo V40 models made their Malaysian debut at Mid Valley, Megamall concourse today. The models were the new Volvo V40 T4, the Volvo V40 T5 and the Volvo V40 Cross Country. The Volvo V40 boasts a 5 star NCAP rating and a host of new innovations such as Knee Airbags for the driver and radar based Cross Traffic Alert.
At the launch was Keith Schäfer, Managing Director of Volvo Car Malaysia, who has taken over the reins from Goran Larson (retiring Volvo Car Asia President), a couple of weeks ago.
According to the press relese, the V40 T4 model will be available from RM173,888 for the V40 T4 model, RM188,888 for the T5 model and RM198,888 for the V40 Cross Country. In addition, they come with 5 years free servicing, inclusive of parts, 5 years free warranty and 5 years Volvo On-Call cover.
At the launch was Keith Schäfer, Managing Director of Volvo Car Malaysia, who has taken over the reins from Goran Larson (retiring Volvo Car Asia President), a couple of weeks ago.
According to the press relese, the V40 T4 model will be available from RM173,888 for the V40 T4 model, RM188,888 for the T5 model and RM198,888 for the V40 Cross Country. In addition, they come with 5 years free servicing, inclusive of parts, 5 years free warranty and 5 years Volvo On-Call cover.
Keith Schäfer, Managing Director of Volvo Car Malaysia together with Mr. Lee Ming Tiong, Sales Director of Volvo Car Malaysia
Volvo V40 Cross Country
(From left to right): Sales Director of Volvo Car Malaysia Lee Ming Tiong, Managing Director of Volvo Car Malaysia, Mr. Keith Schäfer, and President of Volvo Car Asia,Goran Larsson
Thanks to David Lau for the info and pics
Mill Garages for Volvo cars
I recently wrote about the exciting new Volvo V40 R-Design and how the new breed of models are slowly changing the perception of this brand. Anyway, I just found out that besides the great looks and specifications, I found out that this hatchback is quite economical to run. It gives you 83.1MPG and you do not have to pay the DVLA car tax. You can now have the car for only £299 per month with a £299 deposit.
If you live in the North East of England, check out the V40 R-Design and other offers on the Mill Garages website (http://www.millnortheast.co.uk/). One of the biggest car dealers in the region, I discovered that they have a long and fascinating history. The first Mill Garage was established in Sunderland in 1947 by a guy called George Rollings. They have had a number of ownership changes and the current owners have been running the company since 2008. They now have 4 dealerships at Sunderland, Stockton, St James Retail Park and Newcastle.
They website is really clean and easy to navigate with clear links. I really liked the videos as well. I was going through the testimonials and noticed that many of them referred to the staff by their name which says a lot about the service quality of this company.
Volvo V40 R-Design
Volvo launched 2 variants of the Volvo V40 at the recent Paris Motor Show, namely the V40 R-Design and the Cross Country models. The are already available at the dealerships here in the UK.
The problem with the previous range of models was that they were not particularly exciting. Being the car brand of choice for the vampires in the Twilight movies did not do much to change the image.
However, the Volvo V40 R-DESIGN may be what might change that. With its sporty looks, I feel that this performance hatchback is a perfect competitor to the BMW 1 series. As a family man with kids, I really appreciate the fact that it has 5-doors.
According to Lex Kerssemakers, Senior VP of Product Strategy, the new R-Design was created specially "for people with a passion for things that add extra spice to life".
What makes this car stand out is the overall design. The exterior of the car features brushed metal detailing, glossy black grille and LED daytime running lights. As for the interior, it has triple stitched sports Nubuck/ textile/ leather seats. While driving, you can switch seamlessly between Eco Mode, ELegance Mode and Performance Mode.
As for engines, it is available in petrol and diesel engine versions – including a high-output, five-cylinder petrol engine 254hp unit (T5) with Six-Speed Geartronic automatic transmission.
The problem with the previous range of models was that they were not particularly exciting. Being the car brand of choice for the vampires in the Twilight movies did not do much to change the image.
However, the Volvo V40 R-DESIGN may be what might change that. With its sporty looks, I feel that this performance hatchback is a perfect competitor to the BMW 1 series. As a family man with kids, I really appreciate the fact that it has 5-doors.
According to Lex Kerssemakers, Senior VP of Product Strategy, the new R-Design was created specially "for people with a passion for things that add extra spice to life".
What makes this car stand out is the overall design. The exterior of the car features brushed metal detailing, glossy black grille and LED daytime running lights. As for the interior, it has triple stitched sports Nubuck/ textile/ leather seats. While driving, you can switch seamlessly between Eco Mode, ELegance Mode and Performance Mode.
As for engines, it is available in petrol and diesel engine versions – including a high-output, five-cylinder petrol engine 254hp unit (T5) with Six-Speed Geartronic automatic transmission.
Volvo unveils 6 new models
The New V60
Volvo has had their most significant product launch ever. 6 new models were unveiled at an exclusive event in Gothenburg, Sweden. These are the new S60, V60, XC60, V70, XC70 and S80 models - all with updates based on feedback from customers. They will be officially revealed to the public at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show.
The New S60
The new Volvo V40
Volvo has unveiled the V40 at the Geneva motor show yesterday. It is Volvo's first true five-door hatchback.
Roomy interiors.
Volvo is perceived as having the safest cars and they are.
This time, they are not only thinking about the driver and the passengers but even the pedestrians outside. So in case you hit someone, an airbag pops out from the rear edge of the bonnet to cover the windscreen and the front pillars.
And if there is an obstacle in front the car sensors will detect it and brake automatically.
The V40 comes with the option to have the dynamic spoiler fitted with the extra winglets. It will cost money though.
Roomy interiors.
This time, they are not only thinking about the driver and the passengers but even the pedestrians outside. So in case you hit someone, an airbag pops out from the rear edge of the bonnet to cover the windscreen and the front pillars.
And if there is an obstacle in front the car sensors will detect it and brake automatically.
The V40 comes with the option to have the dynamic spoiler fitted with the extra winglets. It will cost money though.
Regarding the engines, there are several versions and I read that both the 150 and 180bhp petrol engines is the same as Ford Focus 1.6. They also have one version with Volvo's own 2.0L diesel five-cylinder engine.
Review of TMS Coventry
Recently had my old Volvo S40 serviced and MOTd at TMS Coventry, the authorised dealer for Volvo in Coventry. Had been thinking of writing a review about their service for while but had kept putting it off.
TMS Coventry is a family owned and run business. I had avoided it because of preconceived notions that as an "authorised dealer and service provider" they would be costlier than the friendly neighbourhood garages. However, I was forced to go to them when I once had a problem with the security system/ central locking and a few garages I visited was not able to fix the problem. I drove down to their garage with my emergency lights blinking all the way from Radford. I was genuinely shocked when the final cost came out to be much less than what I had expected.
However, the next time I visited because of a misfiring engine really put me off. I was happy with the replacement of the ignition coil and fixing the problem. What I was not OK with was the fact that they charged me £19.80 for changing 3 bulbs and included and extra £34.40 labour charge. And they had not even thought of calling me up to check with me.
In contrast my favourite garage in Stoney Stanton, had once changed one of my bulbs and had only charged me £3.
Anyway, I had to go back to them again when I had electrical problems with the car. Ultimately found out that the fault had been caused by some coins (my son's handiwork) in the car radio/ CD player which had caused a short-circuit. However, this time I was quite impressed by their professional service. They sent me an SMS to confirm my booking and also called me up after the work was done.
The total cost for the service and MOT came to £200.83 including £50 for the MOT. This was reasonable considering that I had to pay £185 last year at my local garage. They had to replace a few things including bulbs to rear indicator light. However, this time there were no labour charges for replacing the bulbs.
Here is their address and contact info:
TMS Coventry
510 London Road
Coventry
West Midlands
CV3 4EU
Phone: 08446 626226
Fax: 02476 639362
Volvo concept - The Tiandi / Universe
Volvo recently unveiled their global concept car called the Tiandi or Universe at the Shanghai motor show. The curvy and more flashy look indicate the direction the Volvo is going to take under Geely, Volvo's new Chinese owners.
Even though the Volvo Cars chief Stefan Jacoby says that the Geely was not involved or influenced the car's design or development, they are clearly targeting the Chinese with this new concept.
The car features a unique grille shape and low-set headlights. Will post more details and pics as I get them.
Even though the Volvo Cars chief Stefan Jacoby says that the Geely was not involved or influenced the car's design or development, they are clearly targeting the Chinese with this new concept.
The car features a unique grille shape and low-set headlights. Will post more details and pics as I get them.
Volvo PR failure
I cringe when I see this video. Was supposed to showcase Volvo's automatic stopping feature. However, as you can see, things didn't go as planned.
Volvo wants to build large luxury saloon
According to an article in the Financial Times, Li Shufu, the new chairman of Volvo and co-chair of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, wants to build a car to compete with the likes of the "to compete with the BMW 7-Series and Mercedes S-class".
The Chinese company recently finalised it's purchase of Volvo from the Ford Motor for US$1.5bn.
BTW, just check out the new S60 from Volvo.
How to reset the service indicator on the Volvo S40
I serviced my car a few weeks back at my favourite garage "MOT Centre Services" in Stoney Stanton Rd which was previously known as Taxi & Car Repairs.
I was about to drive away after the service when I noticed that the service indicator light was still on. This warning light comes on to indicate that it was time to service the car.
They told me that they had not been able to shut it off. Something about not have the proper software or something.
Seeing this warning every time I started the car was really irritating. I was tempted but didn't go to TMS Coventry, the official Volvo dealer in Coventry as I knew that they would charge me a nice "official" price just to reset it and I would probably have to leave the car there for a whole day.
I don't know why but it never occurred to me to look it up on the net. It was only this Monday I suddenly remembered my car and Googled "reset service indicator on volvo s40" and discovered that I could reset the service indicator in just 4 steps:
1. Turn Key to position I (Intermediate position)
2. Push in the tripmeter reset button while turning key to position II (Drive position).
3. Hold down the tripmeter reset button until service reminder starts flashing (about 30 seconds)
4. Release the tripmeter reset button.
I didn't get it to work the first time but after the third try, the indicator light just went off.
Independent Volvo Specialists in Coventry
Are there any independent Volvo specialist garages in Coventry?
I have been trying to find one for sometime but without any success. My old Volvo S40 is giving me a headache. The remote doesn't work and opening the car manually with the keys sets off the alarm and the hazard lights start blinking. Unlike other cars, there is no way to manually shut off the alarm from inside the car. I know my old Proton car had a button that you could press to shut off the alarm.
Searching on the net reveals that other S40 owners have had similar problems but unfortunately there were no solutions. I tried a few garages but they were not able to help me.
A friend suggested VRS who call themselves "UK’s leading MOT and auto repair experts". However, when I told them my problem, the guy on the line replied that they had diagnostics solutions for every brand apart from Volvo.
In the end it look like I have to go to TMS Volvo Coventry - the official distributor here in Coventry. Of course they would be the best people to help me but the problem is that like all "authorised" garages, they will charge me a lot. A call to their service centre confirmed it: "It will be £80 to run the diagnostics". You should note that this £80 is only for the diagnostics and don't cover the actual repair costs.
Now the car is parked there in front of my house, practically useless while I wait for my pay to come in.
I do regret buying the Volvo and should have gone with a Ford Mondeo instead. Cheaper and easier to repair.
Arrgh!
Latest car test results from Euro NCAP
Test results for 6 cars were released by Euro NCAP yesterday:
In the Supermini category, the Daihatsu Materia and the Mazda 2.
In the Small Family Car category, the Honda Civic
Out of these, four cars received five stars in adult occupant protection. These were the Mazda 2, the Mercedes Benz C Class, the Renault Laguna and the Volvo V70.
Mazda 2
During the trest, delay in the deployment of airbags was detected in the Mazda 2 and the Volvo V70 even though they were not part of Euro NCAP tests.
In the frontal impact test of the Mazda 2, a small disturbance shortly before impact led to a delay in the firing of the airbags and protection of the front seat occupants was compromised. Although these disturbances are not part of Euro NCAP’s tests, they could occur in real life accidents. In the case of the Volvo V70, curtain airbag deployment was delayed in the side pole test.Both manufacturers have taken steps to rectify the problems.
Read the full press release here: "Euro NCAP - up to speed on testing".
