Volvo introduces new five-pot diesel, upgrades T6 engine.

Volvo has a new 2.0-litre five cylinder diesel powerplant for model year 2011. The 2.0D unit is new for the XC60 and XC70 and replaces the longstanding four-cylinder 134 bhp unit in the C30, S40, V50, C70, V70 and S80. In essence, the new diesel is based on the familiar 2.4-litre D5, but with reduced displacement from a shorter stroke for better fuel consumption. There are also piezo-electric fuel injectors for more efficient combustion. Available in various states of tune, the 2.0D can be had with a six-speed auto or manual.

As part of Volvo’s new engine nomenclature, all new engines will be badged based on power output. For example, the 148 bhp/350 Nm 2.0D in the C30, S40, V50 and C70 is named D3 while an uprated 175 bhp/400 Nm version of the same engine is labeled D4. In bigger cars like the S80, V70, XC70 and XC60 the 2.0D makes 161 bhp/400 Nm and is badged D3. The same format applies to the petrols, but with T instead of D.

Speaking of petrols, The T6 six-cylinder engine now offers 19 bhp and 40 Nm extra to make 304 bhp/440 Nm thanks to “reduction in internal friction”. Emissions have also been reduced.

Volvo SC90 concept was panned by Nouphone J. Bansasine.

The Volvo SC90 concept was panned by Nouphone J. Bansasine during his internship at Volvo in Summer 2007, and it was essentially a Volvo entry into the fray of “4-door coupes” being launched one after another by nearly all car manufacturers who ever use the word luxury in any of their marketing material.

In the designer’s imaginary world, the SC90 concept would go into production by the year 2015 against the Aston Martin Rapide and the Porsche Panamera, and according to current Volvo nomenclature it would most likely be called the Volvo C90. Perhaps it’s because it would probably take that long for anyone to find a Volvo entry in THAT segment sexy enough to purchase - 4-door coupes aren’t as practical as sedans and are usually a purely emotional choice.

Volvo FH16 Is The Most Powerful Truck In The World !!!

Click for enlarged image

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the REAL Mother Trucker! The most powerful truck in the world as of today is the new Volvo FH16, which can proudly display a 700 horsepower badge thanks to its D16G engine, which puts out a massive 700 horsepower and 3,150Nm of torque in its highest state of tune. The 16 liter engine is also Euro 5 compliant, which is important since that regulation will come into force in October this year.

“The Volvo FH16 is intended for the very heaviest and most demanding of transport operations. It is also a highly prestigious truck for the customer who is looking for something truly out of the ordinary. Now, with 700 hp, the Volvo FH16 sets itself apart from everything else in the industry,” says Staffan Jufors, President and CEO of Volvo Trucks, clearly very proud of the new truck.

Despite the power increase, Volvo has rated the new 700 horsepower truck to consume the same amount of fuel as the previous edition which puts out 660hp. The FH16 is also available in 540hp and 600hp versions, which come with 2,650Nm or 2,800Nm of torque respectively.

These kind of trucks are a rare sight in Malaysia. There aren’t that many uses for such a powerful engine, plus it could be that our displacement-tied tax structure forces some people who want to save ob road tax costs to use underpowered trucks for hauling way more than they were designed for. That is why you can see trucks stranded on a slope sometimes, usually thanks to a burned out clutch from the strain they have to pull.

Volvo S60 Concept .

Volvo S60 Concept unveiled before Detroit show

Filed under Cars, Concepts, International News, Volvo

Despite it’s BMW X6-like looks, this isn’t a crossover coupe kinda thing, it’s actually a C-segment executive sedan, set to be Volvo’s new weapon against the likes of the BMW 3-Series and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class. We’ll see it on the roads in 2010, but for now let’s have a look at the concept version.

Under the hood is a new 1.6 liter GTDi engine. GTDi stands for Gasoline Turbocharged Direct Injection and it can produce 180 horsepower from such a small displacement engine. The GTDi engine also has start-stop function, and is mated to a Powershift twin clutch transmission. CO2 emissions are rated at 119g/km and fuel consumption is pegged at 5.0 liters consumed per 100km travelled. Some technical features that help achieve this fuel consumption and also contribute to better aerodynamics are flat underbody panels, the use of lightweight materials, and a grille shutter which closes to reduce air drag whenever there is less need for air cooling.

The exterior is clearly derived from the aggressive styling of the Volvo XC60, but there are little touches here and there which make you feel they really paid attention to detail with the car. For example, the headlamps have Scandinavian influences in it. Apparently they create the image of two miniature Viking longboats sailing side by side, one for the main beam and one for the dipped beam. This will probably be dropped in the production version for a conventional projector and reflector combination.

Volvo says the lines on the car do not end abruptly but instead flows continuously from the front to the end of the car, inspired by fast sweeps of a race track. The X6-like stance is probably due to the large 7-spoke wheels which are 20 inches in size and wrapped with low profile tyres. Hiding behind the wheel spokes are brake calipers which are painted bronze to match the exterior “Warm Liquid Copper” colour.

The interior is much more experimental, and according to Volvo Cars design director Steve Mattin, it indicates Volvo’s future interior design direction. The floating center stack has been revealed previously and is made of solid Orrefors crystal, but we probably won’t see such luxury in the production version. This center stack flows from the instrument panel all the way to the rear seat’s backrest.

Anyway, enough of the design details, as sometimes a designer’s justification of the themes that inspired his design does not make sense. Let’s have a look at the safety features that Volvo has built into the new Volvo S60 Concept. which hopefully will cross over to the production model, or another production Volvo at least if they are too expensive to include with a C-segment car.

Volvo has allowed the car to automatically brake to avoid collisions with the car in front of you if the difference of speed between the two vehicles is less than 25km/h. This is because apparently studies show that half of all drivers who hit another vehicle from behind do not brake prior to the collision.

In an emergency, the driver gets an audible warning with a white flashing light in the windscreen’s HUD. It looks like a flashing brake light coming on in front. This is an enhancement over the current system found in cars such as the S80 where a light on top of the dash flashes, but now its changed to a flashing in the heads-up display. If the driver does not respond to this warning and collision is imminent, the car brakes with full braking power. However the main idea is still to warn the driver of the impending collision and let him take evasive action on his own, with the auto brake to be used only at the very last minute as a last resort.

Have a look at a whole collection of hi-res photos after the jump.