Automotive News, Car Reviews, and Podcast
Google Gemini rolls out to 16 Volvo models from 2020 forward starting April 30, 2026. What changes for drivers, who qualifies, and whether conversational AI earns its dashboard real estate.
Read moreI ran the math on 2026 plug-in hybrid SUVs against their gas counterparts. Recovery percentage, charging access, premium fuel, and what changed when the federal credit ended.
Read moreElectric vehicles (EVs) were once heralded as the inevitable future of the automotive industry, with automakers rushing to announce bold plans to electrify their lineups. But as 2024 unfolds, it’s becoming clear that this future may not arrive as quickly as once expected. The last few months have seen a significant pullback from several major automakers, including Ford, General Motors (GM), Mercedes-Benz, Tesla, and Volvo. Economic headwinds, rising costs, and supply chain issues are forcing these companies to reassess their once-lofty EV ambitions. While consumer demand for electric vehicles remains strong, the reality of scaling EV production has proven far more complicated than anticipated. Ford’s Battery Plant Delay and Mixed Results Ford has been one of the most vocal advocates
Read morePodcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 18:38 — 42.6MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreIt was just before the opening evening session of the recent2024 Nvidia GTC conference at the San Jose Convention Center and it got quiet quickly. Alwin Bakkenes, Russell Datz, the carmaker’s national media relations manager, Bruce Aldrich, the co-host of The Weekly Driver Podcast, and I all stepped in and closed our respective doors of the 2024 EX90 electric SUV perched in the corner of the expo hall. Volvo and Nvidia, the multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, have had a business partnership since 2016. And with the conference an in-person gathering for the conference for the first time in
Read moreNearly 55 years after the original popularity of station wagons began to wane, modern styles — the 2023 Volvo V60 Cross Country to the new Porsche Taycan — are still respected. They’re automotive sentinels to yesteryear when families traveled in three-row chariots with folding bench seats and visited train stations with packed trundle suitcases About 10 manufacturers still make wagons (they’re rarely called station wagons), and like Audi and Mercedes-Benz, Volvo believes in the versatility of the segment. But a lot has changed. The 2023 Volvo V6 Cross Country isn’t a new generation, but it’s been updated. A mild-hybrid is now standard and there’s a new powertrain, the B5. It has 247 horsepower, slightly less than last year’s model. It
Read moreIn the rapidly evolving world of electric vehicles (EVs), strategic partnerships and technological advancements are key to staying ahead of the curve. Volvo Cars, renowned Swedish automaker, is making significant strides in this direction. The company recently announced a landmark agreement with Tesla, granting Volvo‘s EV drivers access to Tesla’s vast Supercharger network across North America. While Volvo is leveraging Tesla’s charging infrastructure, it has chosen to develop its own autonomous driving technology, underlining its commitment to innovation and independence in the EV sector. A Strategic Partnership with Tesla Volvo Cars is the first European automaker to sign an agreement with Tesla, enabling current and future electric Volvo car drivers to access Tesla’s extensive Supercharger network across the United States,
Read moreVolvo may hold an unofficial title. It’s the manufacturer with the most improved vehicles, appearance to performance, including the 2022 XC90 Once boxy, plain slow and staid, Volvo remains unheralded in the United States. But its market share in 2021 was 4.2 percent, its best since the manufacturer began selling cars in the U.S. in 1959. Sales increased by 12.6 percent from 2020 to 2021. The major reasons include the carmaker’s complete transition. Its fleet, paced but the XC90 sport utility vehicle, is upscale, inside and outside. Top-level materials, a smooth, handsome design and continued top safety ranking pushed Volvo to three straight years of U.S. sales of more than 100,000 vehicles. Prior to 2019, Volvo hadn’t reached six-figure sales
Read moreVolvo‘s push for an all-electric future ramped up as the Swedish automaker recently unveiled in Stockholm the Volvo EX90, its largest and most expensive electric vehicle to date. The debut of the Volvo EX90 follows the carmaker’s pledge to eliminate all gas-powered vehicles from its lineup by 2030. Volvo currently sells two EVs — the C40 Recharge and XC40 Recharge — yet the electric architecture of the EX90 has been built from the ground up for peak ergonomics. Volvo’s newest model is propelled exclusively by two electric motors sending power to all four wheels. Currently no single-motor option is available but this could change. The standard, Twin Motor model generates 402 horsepower and 568 lbs/ft of torque. Volvo EX90: Engine
Read moreAmerican full-sized station wagons were dispatched from the new car lineup in 1996. Once chariots of choice to transport occupants and massive trundle-style suitcases to train stations, the three-row beauties were discarded in favor of a multi-brand brigade of sport utility vehicles. Thankfully, wagons still abound, with cargo space still relevant. It’s now part of the versatile vehicles’ three-part attraction that also includes sportiness and performance. The updated 2022 Volvo XC60 Recharge adds a fourth attraction. It’s a plug-in hybrid in both the T6 and T8 Inscription (hybrid twin-engine technology) trims. The last long-tenured American full-size wagons were family rooms on wheels, the Chevrolet Caprice and Buick Roadmaster. Decorated often in plastic and leather, long-haul comfort was the priority. Dodge
Read moreNow in its early teens, the Volvo XC60 is the Swedish manufacturer’s best-selling vehicle in the United States and globally. The luxury compact sport utility vehicle reached its tenure-best last year, with sales of about 41,500 in this country. The Volvo XC60’s second generation was introduced in 2017 as a 2018 model. The carmaker describes the 2022 model as the most significant upgrade since. Changes are aplenty. Exterior styling improvements include: subtle differences in the front and rear-end designs, new exterior color options and new wheel designs. Mechanically, a mild-hybrid powertrain is new and optional. The infotainment center has been improved to include an Android operating system and new sensor systems for driving assistance. Volvo XC60: Versatility Reigns What remains
Read moreVolvo makes cars that encompass the compelling characteristics of Scandinavian design — simplicity, minimalism and functionality. The 2021 Volvo XC90 Recharge T8 Inscription oozes with automotive modernism. A three-row, midsized luxury SUV offered for two decades, the XC90 is available in T5, T6 or Recharge (T8) options. The powertrains are mated to trim levels with marketing wizards’ think session wordplay. Momentum (called Inscription Expression for the Recharge powertrain), R-Design and Inscription. The 2021 offerings are largely carryovers from last year, with a few keen changes, for the second edition that debuted in 2016. The T8 plug-in hybrid model is now known as Recharge. The standard features list throughout the lineup is further extensive. Every Volvo model now had front parking
Read moreSomeday soon as an homage to the not-too-long-ago automotive history, a manufacturer will introduce a vehicle called a station wagon. A good choice would be next year’s Volvo V90 T6 AWD R-Design. The 2021 editions, like other carmakers’ choices in recent years, are called wagons. It’s as if the “station” designation is an insult. The original classification derived from families carrying their heavy trundle suitcases to train stations. The long wagons, precursors to sport utility vehicles, became station wagons. Beauties they were, with three rows of seating, lots of interior and exterior wood and comfort to spare. Road trips were joyful. The Volvo V90 T6 AWD R-Design is the modern-day equivalent to yesteryear’s classics. It’s a holdover generation, but the
Read moreThe amalgamation of sport utility vehicles has continued in 2020. About half of the new vehicles sold this year in the United States will be full-on SUVs or crossovers. Many brands are interchangeable, but Volvo has emerged from the cluster of sameness. The Volvo XC40 was introduced last year and for 2020 has a few updates, including varying upholstery and other equipment tweaks and a more efficient interior with new storage areas. But this year’s edition is largely the same vehicle the debuted last year and gained plenty of attention for automotive watchdogs and prominent review sites. A two-row, five-passenger crossover, the XC40 features a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with either a T4 or T5 designation. The T5 offers 248
Read moreFor every cyclist competing in a professional bike race, there’s seemingly a corresponding vehicle. But it’s not an exact parallel. In fact, in top-level races, there are several times more team, organization, media and sponsor vehicles, equipment trucks, fans’ motorhomes, police cars and motorcycles than competitors. Like the cyclists, race vehicles get down time at hotels, but otherwise, they’re all almost always on the move, climbing mountains, negotiating narrow roads and descending at top speeds. Volvo saw an opportunity at this year’s event and provided three V60 AWD T6 Inscription trim wagons for the seven-rider team. Team managers Michael Sayers and Michael Creed are driving the cars during every stage. Scott Schnitzspahn, USA Cycling’s vice president of Elite Athletics, has
Read moreFor every cyclist competing in a professional bike race, there’s seemingly a corresponding vehicle. But it’s not an exact parallel. In fact, in top-level races, there are several times more team, organization, media and sponsor vehicles, equipment trucks, fans’ motorhomes and police cars and motorcycles than competitors. Like the cyclists, race vehicles get down time at hotels, but otherwise, they’re all almost always on the move, climbing mountains, negotiating narrow roads and descending at top speeds. Volvo saw an opportunity at this year’s event and provided three V60 AWD T6 Inscription trim wagons for the seven-rider team. Team managers Michael Sayers and Michael Creed are driving the cars during every stage. Scott Schnitzspahn, USA Cycling’s vice president of Elite Athletics,
Read moreConsumer Reports has long been recognized for its reliability to compile and present objective information. So who’s better than the service-oriented publication to provide lists of the most reliable and least reliable automakers? The publication’s annual reliability survey analyzed data in 17 areas from more than 500,000 vehicles. The areas for potential problems included interior wear-and-tear, transmission repairs and squeaky brakes. The annual list usually has surprises and this year is no exception. Volvo was the least reliable career in this year tabulations. The reason: The Swedish-made, Chinese-owned manufactured dropped six places from last year and had an average reliability score of 22. Volvo owners complained about three models was the S90. Its issues ranged from screen freezes and a
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