Archive for April, 2010
Volvo Saab Convertibles Scored Good Safety Scores
The Swedes are known for their safe car which was proven recently by Saab and Volvo. Both Swedish car manufacturers convertible has received the Top Safety Pick distinction from the United States Insurance Institute for Highway Safety IIHS. For Saab the convertible which received the award is the Saab 93 and for the other Swedish brand it was the Volvo C70.
Both convertibles have attained good scores in the crash tests conducted by the nonprofit organization funded by auto insurance companies. Tests conducted on both the 93 and the C70 as well as other convertibles includes front side and rear crash tests. Aside from scoring good on the three crash tests both the Volvo C70 and the Saab 93 are equipped with a standard Electronic Stability Control which the institute has proven to help protect car owners keep away from accidents.
In contrast to the Saab 93 and the Volvo C70 the Pontiac G6 received the poorest safety scores from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The General Motorsmade convertible G6 received acceptable rating for frontal crash protection. But for side and rear crash protection the institute only received marginal ratings. The Audi A4 and the BMW 3 Series recorded similar crash test ratings. For frontal collision both the A4 and the 3 Series posted good scores. For side collision protection the two European cabriolets were given marginal ratings. For rear crash protection the A4 and the 3 Series received poor ratings.
To receive the Top Safety Pick award convertibles or automobiles in general needs to attain good ratings in all three crash tests. They should also be equipped with an Electronic Stability Control which comes in different names varying from one car manufacturer to another. The presence of this system reduces the risk of traffic accidents as it aids the driver in controlling a vehicle especially during instances when the driver is about to lose control of the vehicle.
An added requirement for open top vehicles to receive the Top Safety Pick award is the presence of roll bars which can adequately protect its occupants in an unfortunate event of rollover. Both the 93 and the C70 are equipped with such safety features. A popup roll bar is deployed if the convertibles sensors detect a crash that may result to the vehicle rolling over. The Volvo timing chainequipped C70 and the 93 also boasts of other safety features like airbags and head restraints.
IIHS President Adrian Lund is apparently awed by the performance of the two Swedish convertibles. The performances of the 93 and C70 are impressive Lund said. These cars combine what convertible buyers should look for if they’re shopping with safety in mind. The Saab and Volvo not only provide good protection in highspeed front and side crashes but also have good seat and head restraint designs for protecting against whiplash in rear crashes.
We wanted to test convertibles because sales are increasing. We also wanted to… see if crashworthiness improvements in mainstream cars are being built into convertibles. For the most part we found that this is happening says Lund in conclusion.
Aside from the Saab 93 Volvo C70 Audi A4 BMW 3 Series and the Pontiac G6 other convertibles tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety includes the Chrysler Sebring Ford Mustang Mitsubishi Eclipse Toyota Camry Solara and the Volkswagen Eos.
About the writer: Glady Reign is a 32 year old is a consultant for an automotive firm based in Detroit Mi. She is a native of the motor city and grew up around cars hence her expertise in the automotive field.
Volvo C30: Soon In Canada
Canada should better be on the alert and Canadians who loved the Volvo C30 concept vehicle would be loving this piece of news: the production Volvo C30 vehicle would soon be made available in Canada. Come the early part of next year this vehicle would soon be gracing Volvo dealerships and showrooms in this country.
The Volvo C30 was first presented to the public as a concept vehicle. Unveiling of this vehicle was made possible just this January. Starting next year the production versions would be made available for auto consumers to own. It will be made available as a hatchback holding three doors. But despite the fact that the United States offers the tons of hardtofind Volvo products like performance parts for Volvo S60 this new production vehicle’s hatchback coupe version would not be made available in the country.
Europe would soon be meeting this new Volvo vehicle. In fact it is already scheduled to make an appearance at the Paris Auto Show which would be happening this September.
Fredrik Arp the head of Volvo Cars explains that the creation design and performance of the Volvo C30 were actually made especially for the young ones singles or couples who live an “intense urban lifestyle”. Arp even further states “These people prioritize excitement in design and driving characteristics.” And with that Arp is surely saying that the Volvo C30 would be providing excitement and fun to those who would be driving and riding it.
In Canada the Volvo C30 would be carrying two engine options. There is the 2.4 liter engine with five cylinders which offers a sporty ride. This engine could produce 168 units of horsepower. On the other hand there also is the 2.5 liter engine with five cylinders. It has the capacity to produce 218 horsepower.
And just like any other Volvo vehicle the Volvo C30 comes with entertainment features safety gadgets and even hightechnology addons.
About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Kenneth McKinley is a 35year old marketing specialist of voparts.com a leading Volvo parts dealer in the country today. Working in the car parts industry for a long time now and being a car enthusiast himself gives him a wealth of knowledge on anything automotive.
Volvo Announce 2008 Redesign For S40v50
In 2003 Volvo Cars introduced the current generation of the S40 and V50 as their redesigned entry to the compact entrylevel luxury vehicle. The said generation of the S40 sedan and its wagon version the V50 was named by Forbes as one of the best luxury cars for young affluent drivers. In the first place Volvo aimed the S40 and V50 for the younger generation of drivers as they continue to cope with the changing times.
Recently the Swedenbased Ford Motor Companyowned car manufacturer announced that they will be redesigning the S40/V50 for the 2008 model year to make them more appealing to younger car buyers.
Volvo Cars President and Chief Executive Fredrik Arp has this to say about the redesigned S40/V50: When the cars were introduced almost four years ago we emphasized that they gave buyers the properties of the larger Volvo models but in a more compact format. Now were taking this approach one step further by increasing the grownup quality perception even more. At the same time we are accentuating the differences between the two models. The new S40 moves closer to the Volvo S80 while the new V50 is more like the new Volvo V70.
Volvos efforts to focus on younger buyers have turned out to have a positive effect on their sales in recent years. In the United States figures shows that 45 percent of Volvo S40 buyers are aged under 35 from a previous 23 percent. It was also found out that 40 percent of S40 buyers are single showing an increase of 10 percent.
Furthermore the overall age of S40 customers dropped by ten years from 50 to 40. In connection with that Arp has this to say: What is more the reasons for choosing the S40 are much more emotional than before. Todays buyers speak enthusiastically of its sporty design and driving pleasure. Were also increasingly winning the image and prestige match against our toughest competitors.
One of the major changes in the S40/V50 is the higher power output of its engine. The 2008 model year version of the S40/V50 will be equipped with a T5 engine capable of producing 230 horsepower. The engine will be complemented by a wide array of high quality components as reliable as Volvo 940 parts. Aside from the performance of the vehicles Volvo also increased the storage capacity of the Volvo S40 and the Volvo V50. The design team exploited every available cubic centimeter in an intelligent way. The allnew design of the centre console and the door inside panels for instance has increased storage capacity and added even greater flexibility to the interior says Arp.
These are just some of the upgrades made to the S40/V50 and U.S. car buyers will have to wait for the release of the vehicles in the country to find out for themselves how Volvo managed to increase the appeal of an already appealing model.
About the writer: Glady Reign is a 32 year old is a consultant for an automotive firm based in Detroit Mi. She is a native of the motor city and grew up around cars hence her expertise in the automotive field.