swedish cars
Volvo Bids to Buy Saab Assets
Swedish automaker Saab is attracting more interest dead than alive. The officially bankrupt automaker is in the process of liquidating its assets and former rivals are lining up to buy a piece of the much-talked-about but little-bought maker of quirky cars. Recent reports indicated that German automaker BMW was interested in purchasing Saab, but we…
Saab Dealerships Seek New Manufacturers
Nails just keep dropping in Saab‘s coffin, despite Chinese company Youngman’s attempts to sway the tide otherwise. The latest detail in what’s become a sad saga of failure has to do with dealerships and their reaction to being caught in the fallout. It’s probably easy to forget, but if an automaker goes belly-up, the folks…
Volvo Celebrates 30 Years of the 760 GLE
Volvo has long been recognized for its boxiness and its Swedish sensibilities but it wasn’t always so. For February 2012, Volvo is celebrating the 30th birthday of the original 760 GLE sedan, the car that saved the Volvo Car Corporation. During 1975, automakers across the world were badly beaten by the effects of the oil…
Volvo Road-Train Completes First Successful Test
A major step towards self-driving cars, Volvo has announced its first successful test of what it calls a “road train”. As a part of the SARTRE (Safe Road Trains for the Environment) project, a test fleet of cars fitted with special equipment becomes a caravan of sorts, bunching up behind a lead vehicle and acting…
Saab Bankruptcy Endangers Spyker Existence
Bold and ambitious, Victor Muller founded Spyker Swedish exotic sports cars before purchasing Saab, believing in its return to past glory under his leadership. Confident in his abilities, Muller’s gamble on Saab put Spyker in danger as well. Following Saab’s devastating bankruptcy, Swedish Automobile N.V. (Swan for short, formerly Spyker Cars N.V.) have announced that there…
Saab Sends Workers Back to Finish Stagnant Production Line
Just about 100 more Saabs will roll off the line after the Swedish automaker decided to send some employees back to finish incomplete units still standing in the factory. The company was plagued with financial problems after changing hands from GM to Spyker Cars and ultimately Swedish Automobile. That forced them to shut down despite…
Volvo XC60 Plug-in Hybrid Makes 350 HP, Gets 50 MPG: Detroit Auto Show Preview
The V60 gas/electric Plug-in Hybrid will sport an electric motor producing 70 hp, along with a four-cylinder gasoline engine, resulting in a total power output of 350 hp.
Youngman and Turkish Government Interested in Saab Assets
It’s probably not surprising, but considering the money it’s already put out to try and save Saab, China’s Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile Co Ltd, is still interested in acquiring what assets it can
2013 Volvo V40 Spy Photos
Just last week Volvo first confirmed the existence of the V40 (previously believed to be called the V30) and now we have the very first spy photos of the compact Swedish machine. Set to replace both the S40 and V50 wagon, the V40 is being built as a rival to the Audi A3 Sportback and…
Saab Files for Bankruptcy
Saab’s financial rollercoaster seems to have come to what many have speculated would be its inevitable conclusion, with the Swedish automaker today announcing it has filed for bankruptcy with the District Court in Vänersborg, Sweden. The news comes as Saab was seeking to reorganize, with the struggling car maker desperate to arrange funding. The most…
Volvo C70 Inscription Package Priced from $3,900
Details and pricing for Volvo‘s 2012 C70 Inscription package have finally been announced with pricing set at $3,900 for the package and will be limited to just 500 units in North America, 2,000 in the world. The C70 Inscription adds subtle modifications to Volvo’s C70 hardtop convertible, adding horsepower, torque, plus interior and exterior accessories….
Bank of China Tipped as Latest Saab Savior
Although Saab has been struggling for the past year, don’t bet against it. All but doomed when GM sought to stop Saab’s deal with the Chinese Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile Co. and Pang Da Automobile Trade Co., Youngman is now proposing a new deal with Bank of China, the country’s fourth largest bank by market…
Koenigsegg Agera R Sets Guinness World Record For 0-300 KM/H Time [Video]
It was only a few months ago when we reported that the Koenigsegg Agera R had set record breaking times in acceleration runs from 0-200 mph and 0-300 km/h (0-186 mph). Now these figures have been verified by the Guinness Book of World Records, and it has named the Agera R as the fastest accelerating…
Volvo S60, XC60 And XC70 With T6 Engine Now Have Optional Polestar Package
Volvo‘s racing outfit, Polestar, has expanded its line of performance upgrades to Volvo’s turbo 3.0-liter six-cylinder trimmed vehicles including the S60 sedan and XC60 and XC70 crossovers. The package reflashes the T6’s ECU, increasing power from 300-hp to 325-hp and from 325 lb.-ft. of torque to 355 without any sacrifice to fuel efficiency, effectively bumping…
Saab Suitor Vladimir Antonov Arrested In England
Vladimir Antonov, the Russian “businessman” who attempted to buy Saab earlier in the year, has been arrested in England over charges of involvement in a massive money laundering scheme in Lithuania. Antonov, owner of Portsmouth F.C. (a British soccer team) and his partner Raimondas Baranauskas, were released on bail and ordered to surrender their passports. Both…
Saab Fans Occupy GM Facebook Page
Even as the Occupy movement is being disbanded around the world, one branch of the movement just had a resurgance, as Saab fans “occupied” the Facebook page of General Motors. Saab fans blame GM for holding up the sale of Saab to their potential saviors – whoever they may be (so far it’s been Russian businessmen, American…
2014 Volvo XC90 Teased in New Design Sketches
We now have a better idea of what Volvo’s next generation XC90 may look like thanks to a quartet of sketches the Swedish automaker has released to the public. Reports are that Volvo intends to release its new XC90 sometime in 2014 and it should incorporate the automaker’s new Scalable Platform Architecture. Few details are available…
Volvo Dealers to Offer Polestar Software Upgrades on Select Models
Polestar, Volvo‘s racing outfit founded in 1996 for competition in the World Touring Car Championship, will finally be introduced in the United States. Specifically, Polestar is offering a factory-authorized performance tuning software for Volvo C30, C70 and S40 models that are 2008 and newer and fitted with the T5 engine. Priced at $1,295, the software…
GM Challenges Chinese Acquisition Of Saab
Saab‘s matchmaking saga is the stuff of cinema. Facing compounding financial dilemmas and a series of unsuccessful talks with a number of investors, the troubled Swedish automaker had little going for it. Just as Saab was close to finally making a deal with its Chinese investors, Pang Da Automobile Trade Co. and Zhejiang Youngman Lotus…
Volvo S60, C70 Recalled Over Incorrect Tire Pressure Labels
Swedish car firm Volvo takes safety very seriously, and so it’s taking the extra step to correct a small error it had made in the past. The issue is in regards to the tire pressure label for the spare tire. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), some Volvo vehicles had incorrect information…
Saab Production May Restart In 8 Weeks
According to Inside Line, Saab may be ready to re-start production at its factories in as little as 8 weeks, after being sold to two Chinese automakers for $142 million. While Saab was valued at $660 million this summer, both Pang Da and Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile Co. managed to purchase the company at a rock…
Win a Volvo S60 R-Design in the “Journey to the Wedding” Twilight Saga Sweepstakes
Volvo and the Twilight Saga are inviting fans to join “Journey to the Wedding,” an online promotion created in conjunction to the upcoming release of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, in theaters November 18th. Participants of the “Journey to the Wedding” online game could win a trip to visit the locale of Edward and Bella’s…
CEO Victor Muller Refuses Saab Takeover By Chinese Automakers
According to Saab CEO, Victor Muller, a takeover offer of the Swedish brand by China’s Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile Co. and Pang Da Automobile Trade Co. has been turned down. Although initial talks were intended to aid Saab in raising capital, Muller explains during a Reuters interview, “The token offer was unacceptable because it would…
Saab To Get $70 Million Lifeline From Private Equity Firm
U.S. private equity firm North Street Capital will give Saab a $70 million investment, including an equity stake worth $10 million and a $60 million loan to the ailing car maker. With Chinese-backed financing looking increasingly unlikely, the investment from North Street Capital, a firm run by auto enthusiast Alex Mascioli, will give Saab the…
