Car Throttle

The year 2012 is now upon us, which may mean a few things.  One is that we've only got 350-odd days before the Mayan's prediction of the apocalypse comes true and we all die.  (I'm not betting on it!)  The other thing it does mean is the Detroit Auto Show is just around the corner- just a few days, in fact.  So I've awoken from my Christmas/New Years slumber to share the news. This little trucklet is the new Ford EcoSport, debuting at the New Delhi Auto Expo.  Based on the Fiesta, this miniature soft-roader is the second generation of the EcoSport, which was previously only sold in Brazil.  This new one should be more widely available, with production in Brazil and India, as part of

It's not everyday that one of your favourite bands hooks up with one of your favourite manufacturers. Okay so JLS - X Factor Runners Up - may have a fan-base with an average age in the low teens, but your slightly embarrassed author loves a good ballad or three and Marvin, Oritse, Aston and JB certainly know how to craft a top-selling single. The fact that they have already racked up 5 UK Number 1's is a testament not only to "Jack the Lad Swing" but their innate ability to create a catchy tune. What we have here though is Volvo Cars UK following on from where their Swedish head office left off with placement in the Twilight Saga. In order to get "in" with a

In the past, owning a Volvo has always been akin to owning a fridge-freezer. If you play along with the analogy then you'll see that both offer sturdiness as a top attribute, both can play it cool when needed (we're looking at you Mr. T5 Engine) and both offer safety in ways that the world over has come to expect and not demand. However as you may remember at the beginning of the year when you saw my mug on YouTube reviewing the S60 and V60 R-Design variants, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the Volvo brand had been injected with a dose of what appeared to be some Class A narcotic; merging a threatening sporty exterior with a chirpy range of engines designed

The future owner of Volvo is in doubt, with Ford working to sell the brand like it has Aston Martin, Jaguar and Land Rover. The prospect of selling Volvo to me makes no sense, but Ford seems committed to going ahead with it anyway. Regardless of that though, work on successful products for the future must continue. Some viewed the production Volvo S60 not making a debut at the Frankfurt Auto Show as a worrying sign, but development continues. The S60 was caught undisguised recently and in addition a S60 mule was driven in highly-trafficked Copenhagen without the usual security surrounding a test vehicle. The latter was done for this video, which demonstrates new technology on the S60. The XC60 debuted Volvo's City Safety system, but the

For most of it's existence, Volvo has been a relatively staid brand with an image focused primarily on safety. Pioneering safety developments have resulted in positive changes across the board. That said, when it came to design Volvo was never at the forefront. With new models from the company, that has begun to change. The S60 Concept heralded this change and new direction, with the handsome XC60 crossover successfully following up that look in a production vehicle. The C30 and C70 have also received updates as well. It's the S60's turn to be updated now - rumor was that we'd see it at the Frankfurt Auto Show but reports have said that it has been pushed back (which seems a bit unlikely to me). Regardless of whether

For this month at least Volvo is enjoying a year-over-year sales increase of 26%, bringing sales up to 6,441 from 5,124. Whether or not that continues in the coming months remain to be seen, but the brand definitely has a solid lineup of vehicles like the XC60 and S80 to chose from. The S80 might be getting even more attractive, if a new report out of Autocar is to be believed. Last month, Volvo released the R-Design package for the XC60 Crossover SUV. I liked the changes a lot, thinking they improved the look quite a bit. Unlike the R performance package (for instance S60R), R-Design is purely appearance, aside from a few changes to ride height and suspension settings. Volvo has been reluctant to add

A replacement for the aging Volvo S60 is coming. Volvo has already unveiled a dramatic new concept that previews the car's styling. Given that the car is supposed to be unveiled for model year 2010, it's surprising we haven't seen or heard any more about the vehicle. Broken embargoes - Volvo releasing images to quell the excitement surrounding the new 9-5? Nope. MotorAuthorityhas commissioned a rendering though that is supposedly a preview of the car to come. I'm not impressed - the S60 Concept's looks don't get watered down very well.  It somehow manages to look much less dynamic. I'll be disappointed if the S60 looks like this. Some cars just don't make the concept to production transition well, for Volvo's sake lets hope that doesn't prove

With horsepower already at high levels in most standard models of vehicles on the market, some buyers just are looking for a sportier appearance. Manufacturers have been happy to oblige, like BMW who has announced the M Sport package for the 7-Series that is available across the lineup. Volvo has been trying to bring more variety to the marketplace with it's new vehicles and the XC60 is a big part of that. With the XC60 being an already impressive crossover, this package should only add even more to it's appeal (depending on pricetag). I like it! It's amazing what a little nips and tucks can to do really increase desirability. It looks lower then the standard XC60, huh? Well, it's actually not. As part of the R-Design

"From Sweden with Löv". That's the new marketing campaign for Volvo's latest and greatest, the XC60 Crossover. A followup and little brother to the successful XC90 SUV, the new XC60 is billed as the "Safest Volvo Ever". Volvo really, really wants to establish a strong foothold in the luxury crossover SUV market. As I've said before, the segment is shaping up to be a big battleground between the luxury automakers. Proof comes that they mean business with this price tag. At $32,395 the XC60 undercuts every competitor. Mercedes-Benz GLK, Cadillac SRX, Audi Q5, BMW X3; all of them. I wonder if they were waiting on Cadillac's pricing of the SRX? To be quite honest each one of the mentioned offerings are very appealing. I would take (and like) any one of them,