Autocar February 5, 2020

AFTER THE UK officially exited the European Union last week, attention has turned to negotiating a future trade deal. The SMMT, the UK motor industry’s body, has made its position clear by demanding tariff-free automotive trade with the EU, by far the biggest export market for UK-built vehicles and from where we import seven in 10 cars sold here. The government enters those negotiations off the back of an election victory that was made far more convincing by unexpected success in areas such as the Midlands and the north-east of England. The prime minister has been clear that these votes must be rewarded – and that is where the motor industry comes in. One in 14 UK manufacturing jobs are in automotive – rising to one in six in north-east England –…

An all-new generation of Volvos with hybrid and fully electric powertrain options will begin to launch from 2022, starting with the next XC90. The new seven-seat SUV will be the first model to use Volvo’s updated SPA2 architecture, which will underpin all next-generation versions of its 60-series and 90-series cars. The launch of the current second-generation XC90 in 2014 was the catalyst for a dramatic change in Volvo’s global sales volume. The marque’s annual sales have increased by almost 300,000 units since 2013 and the firm achieved a record 705,452 sales in 2019. The third-gen XC90 will be expected to build on that momentum. Diesel will not be offered with the next round of SPA cars. Instead, petrol power in combination with a mild or plug-in hybrid system will be offered alongside battery-electric…

Volvo has been one of the leading proponents of the industry’s long-term quest for fully autonomous cars. But now it has become the latest to dial back its overall ambition and to clarify how it views the technology developing. The next XC90, due in 2022, will be fitted with the advanced hardware and software needed to allow for eyes-off and hands-off automated driving on highways where conditions allow. What’s made clear by Volvo is that it will be up to the system to decide if the road conditions are safe to be driven in that way, and it will never be a system that means a car is autonomous 100% of the time. Volvo boss Håkan Samuelsson said: “The cars will have functionality that we will improve every year – step by…

Volvo’s smaller 40-series is set to expand beyond the sole XC40 sold today. Whether there will be a more direct replacement for the axed V40 family hatchback is not yet known, but Volvo boss Håkan Samuelsson said the firm “realised the need for another small, premium car”, with a particular focus on Europe, and there are “plans to do more models of the family” of 40-series. Autocar reported last year that the intention was to launch something in the SUV-coupé sphere, suiting the high-riding desires of today’s buyers. The XC40 range will expand initially with a fully electric Recharge version this year but at least one new bodystyle will follow it, separate from any XC40-badged variants.…

AFTER THE UK officially exited the European Union last week, attention has turned to negotiating a future trade deal. The SMMT, the UK motor industry’s body, has made its position clear by demanding tariff-free automotive trade with the EU, by far the biggest export market for UK-built vehicles and from where we import seven in 10 cars sold here. The government enters those negotiations off the back of an election victory that was made far more convincing by unexpected success in areas such as the Midlands and the north-east of England. The prime minister has been clear that these votes must be rewarded – and that is where the motor industry comes in. One in 14 UK manufacturing jobs are in automotive – rising to one in six in north-east…

An all-new generation of Volvos with hybrid and fully electric powertrain options will begin to launch from 2022, starting with the next XC90. The new seven-seat SUV will be the first model to use Volvo’s updated SPA2 architecture, which will underpin all next-generation versions of its 60-series and 90-series cars. The launch of the current second-generation XC90 in 2014 was the catalyst for a dramatic change in Volvo’s global sales volume. The marque’s annual sales have increased by almost 300,000 units since 2013 and the firm achieved a record 705,452 sales in 2019. The third-gen XC90 will be expected to build on that momentum. Diesel will not be offered with the next round of SPA cars. Instead, petrol power in combination with a mild or plug-in hybrid system will be…