Hot new Volvo convertible-First pics and info-Part 1

Volvo Releases Official Photos of the all-new Volvo C70




World unveil to take place at the 2005 Frankfurt Motor Show

Volvo Cars of North America, LLC (VCNA) today released the first official photos of the all-new Volvo C70. With its innovative three-piece retractable hardtop, the second generation C70 is a car that offers the best of both worlds. With the top up, it's a sporty coupe with dramatic, head-turning style. With the top stowed below the rear deck, it's an open-air convertible that invites wind-in-the-hair fun and excitement. What makes the all-new C70 even more appealing is that there is room for four people.

The all-new Volvo C70 will be unveiled at the 2005 Frankfurt Motor Show in mid-September, with sales beginning in the U.S. in the spring of 2006 – just in time for summer.

“We’ve succeeded in creating an attractive convertible which, at the mere touch of a button, converts into an equally elegant coupe. The customer gets two cars in one. Both with space for four adults,” says Volvo Cars President and CEO Hans-Olov Olsson.

Style-conscious convertible buyers will find the design of all-new C70 offers all of the freedom of a soft top, with the utility and personal security that only a hardtop can deliver upon. The forward-thrusting nose section and aggressively raked rear glass gives the car a powerful profile. “Putting together harmonious lines both with and without a roof is no easy job,” says Fedde Talsma, design manager for the all new Volvo C70. “We decided to start with the bold shape of a sports coupe and when we were satisfied with the result, we made the necessary adjustments to create a convertible.” Along its flowing fenders are the now ubiquitous shoulders that have become a Volvo design icon.

Unique Safety Solutions

The all-new Volvo C70 was developed to offer new standards of preventive and protective safety in the convertible market. The car has an advanced body structure and several solutions that make it unique among open-top cars. The lack of a fixed roof has been compensated for by reinforcements in the structure and sophisticated safety technology. One unique example is the new door-mounted inflatable curtain, which is part of the enhanced protection system for side impacts. Since the door-mounted inflatable curtain cannot be fitted within the headliner like other Volvos, it is fitted in the door and inflates upwards when it is deployed.

Volvo's safety engineers have fine-tuned the door-mounted inflatable curtain to be extra stiff. As a result, it remains upright for a longer period of time and helps to better protect the head in the event of a side impact. In addition, the curtain deflates slowly to help provide additional protection if the car rolls over. This is a unique solution in the automotive world.

High Torsional Rigidity

The body structure, in a carefully designed network of beams, not only contributes to the car’s high safety standards, it also gives the body extremely high torsional rigidity – twice as high as that of the previous C70 Convertible. With the roof up, torsional rigidity is increased by an impressive 10-15 percent over the convertible.

“A torsionally rigid body is important to the car’s ride and handling traits,” says C70 project manager Patrik Widerstrand. “It makes the car more stable and easier to control. It also makes the car more dynamic and fun to drive.” In the U.S. the all-new Volvo C70 will be powered by 2.5-liter in-line five-cylinder turbocharged engine that produces 218 hp and offers 236 lb.-ft. of torque.

Cooperation with Pininfarina

The development and manufacture of the all-new Volvo C70 is the result of a joint venture with renowned Italian company Pininfarina. “Pininfarina is an excellent partner with long experience of developing and building convertibles,” said Hans-Olov Olsson. Like its predecessor, the car will be built in Uddevalla, Sweden.

The first-generation C70 Convertible had its best year in 2004 with just over 8,000 cars sold globally. U.S. sales in 2004 totaled 4,069 units. “Our all new C70 is one of the first open-top cars in the premium segment with both a steel roof and space for four adults. We believe this is a highly sought-after combination. That’s why we expect to more than double our sales compared with the first-generation C70,” says Hans-Olov Olsson.



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Steve - 7/28/2005 10:20:28 PM

+1 Boost

That's what Audi's nose should look like, if they wanted a nice face. Lookin' good, Volvo.

Steve - 7/28/2005 10:20:28 PM

+1 Boost

That's what Audi's nose should look like, if they wanted a nice face. Lookin' good, Volvo.

Anim8or - 7/29/2005 2:24:00 PM

+1 Boost

... looks like a previous generation Audi. But then again, Volvo is always one step behind Audi and BMW style-wise. I prefer the bolder and progressive new Audi designs of course, but Volvo is nevertheless making all the right moves to hold on to its tier-two status.

The competition for 4 seater hard-tops is heating up. This Volvo will directly compete with VW's answer to the hard-top 4 seater cabrio next year. In another two years, the top tier will also add to the competition with the Audi A5 Cabriolet with its aluminum hardtop. Although BMW is stating that it will hold on to a fabric top for its upcoming 4 Series Convertible, there have been rampant inside rumors that suggest otherwise...

Good times, especially for people like myself who live in SoCal.

Anim8or - 7/29/2005 6:00:53 PM

+1 Boost

Actually Audi IS a tier one company as of 2000 in Europe and 2002 in NA. It joins BMW, Merc, and the recently upgraded Lexus.

Volvo is a tier two automotive manufacturer, along with companies such as Saab and Acura.

Audi now routinely surpasses both BMW and Mercedes Benz in terms of sales (#1 in Europe for Q1 2005), reliability scores (only German car company in Europe's 2005 reliability top 10), industry awards (too numerous to mention), safety (highest rankings of any German brand for 2005) and consumer surveys (again, too numerous to mention).

Companies like Audi are considerably more aggressive, more innovative, and more well-financed than Volvo currently are. Audi is spending 10 Billion Euros on the next 5 years alone as part of a relentless campaign to unseat BMW and Merc to become Europe's #1 luxury car company. Volvo simply doesn't have that kind of business and technological muscle. However, Volvo does compete with entry level Audi's such as the 2.0T A4 and A3.

Nothing wrong with Volvo. They are still superb at safety (Although Audi now equals or actually surpasses Volvo in latest crash tests), and have vastly improved their latest models in terms of dynamics and ergonomics (but still not to Audi-levels; see the latest Road & Track for an Audi A4/Volvo S40-T5 comparo). Volvo has a very long way to go before becoming tier one, If ever. Note that Volvo is priced to match its tier positioning. Its models sell between $2000 to $4000 less than comparitive Audis. This is about correct. There is no shame to be a teir two company. Volvo's new S40 and V50 are amogst the best in the second teir class.

These are the facts.

Anim8or - 7/30/2005 9:17:34 PM

+1 Boost

Audi's residual values have indeed climbed remarkably fast over the past 3 years. Globally, Audi rests well above Mercedes (which has been plagued with reliability issues) and just a hair below BMW.

Even in the USA, which is one of Audi's worst markets, the new A4's residuals are essentially on par with the BMW's new 3 Series. Lease deals on the new A4 are great right now. The A3 however is still quite high due to it being a new model in an essentially non-existent market segment (luxury hatchbacks). As far as Audi's poor US market share, it's interesting to watch Audi's extremely aggressive new US marketing attack. I have never seen so many Audi magazine ads, billboards, and TV spots. It’s about time! I have little doubt that Audi will become the world's number 1 luxury brand by 2010, but I suspect that the may US take one or two years to catch up to the rest of the world.

As far as people disputing Audi's commonly known tier-one status, they are simply wrong. It’s usually ignorance based on some outdated “Audi-is-a-VW” nonsense.

Now that Audi has successfully separated its technology, design, and even service departments from VW, it'll be interesting to watch the continued innovations that Audi will be spearheading over the next few years (rear-biased quattro, Multitronic for longitudinal engines, high torque DSG etc...)

In conclusion,

- Audi is a Tier One company.
- Audi's residuals are on par with BMW

These are undisputable, industry recognized facts. Get used to it, or kindly step aside and let progress pass you by.

But this is (was) a Volvo blog, no?

Once again, Volvo is certainly rocking these days. They have finally gone past their one-note song and dance about safety. Since most of its competitors now easily match Volvo in safety, I'm glad to see the company finally start to produce some compelling cars that do more than just provide a secure ride.

However Volvo only offers a couple of decent alternatives in the tier two segment (essentially the S40 and V50), so it's nice to see a very attractive convertible added to their lineup.

Good luck to Volvo. They've come a long way.