Good holiday weekend to all our friends in the US. The rest of you…well it’s just two days to Monday.

dan

RC is an intelligent control of the alternator charging function. By changing the alternator charge level parameters, when the driver uses the brake pedal, the alternator is signaled to start generating electricity. This takes unused engine horsepower and powers the alternator to charge the vehicle battery.

I asked Anders Wogel in our Rockleigh office to explain:

“A simple control strategy would be to ’switch on’ the alternator only when the driver is braking and ’switch off’ the alternator in all other situations. RC braking does require a BMS (Battery Monitoring System) to keep track of the battery condition. RC is used on vehicles with Start/Stop technology (part of the DRIVe concept in Europe).

Best regards Anders Wogel, QAT satellite EESE, EMS”

Anders further explained that the control strategy is if the battery needs more power during normal driving, the system reverts to conventional charging parameters. If the battery system is charged, we use a sliding curve algorithm that determines what to do between totally off and maximum charge output, to optimize Regenerative Charging opportunities to charge the battery.

RC is one of those clever little technological tweaks that helps reduce our carbon output – bit by bit.

Dan

Dan

Stumbling into work the other day, this C30 begged to be photographed. Tracking it down, Andrew Gallagher, one of our product guys, asked what I thought of the interior.

Some years back, probably around 1982 when we all had to wear suits, Bob Deutsch put together an “Ugly Tie Day” event for employees. I won more times than most. As Bob pointed out to me: ”As I recall, most of the time you won ugly tie day without realizing it was ugly tie day”, thanks Bob. I truly had ugly ties. But they were different, bold colors, strange patterns, just weird. So asking me an opinion on interiors is, well, a stretch. I do love this C30.

I offered Andrew this forum to see what others might think. I know there are a couple thousand out there reading this … simple yes/no and/or comments would be great.

What you are looking at is actually a seat that is currently offered only in Europe. The orange material is a fine interwoven cloth, the black surrounding it is made out of T-Tec. T-Tec is the same material that is used in surfing attire, kind of like my 5/4/3 wetsuit, only much nicer. There is an ongoing investigation for offering an Orange Flame metallic paint exterior with this two toned orange/black  seat interior.

Question 1:

If Volvo was to offer a special edition C30 with only Orange Flame metallic paint, orange cloth/T-Tec seat, Sirius Satellite, high performance sound (not Premium Sound previously branded as Dynaudio) a 17″ new rim, what are your thoughts?

Question 2:

Would you need an available automatic trans, climate package, or bi-xenons?

Don’t expect a surprise package of pickled herring for answering, just our appreciation for your taking time to comment.

dan

ps: I think around 1978 we launched one of rarest cars ever (second only to the P1900 that we made 58 of): a 244 California car. White trim, white paint, white grill, white interior. All it needed was ‘made by Amana’ on it.  Now, not wanting to repeat ourselves, here’s your chance to chime in or we just might do this again

Just found this review from 5th Gear out of the UK: (the engine she is testing is not our T5 with 227 HP and 236 lb.ft. of torque)

In black, the car is stunning. Wonder if anyone would notice if we took some dark tint to our shop S60 windows?

Damn, that car looks good.

S60 has one sweet engine/driveline. If 300 hp and 325 ft/lb, coupled with our advanced Haldex AWD system, isn’t enough, we threw in Dynamic Chassis suspension with Four-C Chassis (Continuously Controlled Chassis Concept). Four-C was first used in our S60 R and V60 R series. I had the pleasure of testing how stiff it can be when lifted off pavement, coming out of a wash (deep gully out in the desert), going ‘a little’ too fast. Came down hard on all fours but we didn’t loose any nuts and bolts.

Four-C will have three settings: Comfort (my wife likes that one), Sport (for those who like a little more chocolate syrup on your ice cream), and Advanced (like we say, “… for maximum road contact – directly communicating the road surface to the driver,” for those who like gobs of chocolate syrup on your ice cream with nuts and sprinkles).

Volvo is about Life. What we build is from a Scandinavian culture that cares about people, I guess we could say a holistic culture. Our part in this culture is to help protect people inside and outside our cars during their most important and memorable events in their lives. The other day, we helped bring life into this world – here’s Ezra’s story. I wonder if Ezra’s birth certificate states: Place of Birth: Volvo XC90?

Check out an excerpt of the amazing story below from the Blooma Yoga blog.

Dan

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Mama Anna and her husband, Andy, experienced quite a birth last week, with Sarah Longacre as their doula-turned-baby catcher! Their third baby, this kiddo came quickly… in their Volvo SUV! Welcome to the world, Ezra Orion!

From Sarah:

Greetings!

It is no secret that I love to encourage trust and wisdom when it comes to birth.  So as I supported Anna as she birthed her beautiful baby boy Ezra under a full moon in the back of her Volvo last week, those words couldn’t ring more true. Anna and Andy were so calm, so focused and so trusting in every minute of their birth.  My hands slowly helped to guide Ezra’s head as he made his way into the world and I  have never believed in the miracle of birth more than I did that day.

Anna’s Volvo XC90

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To read the rest of the story and to view additional photos, visit the Blooma Yoga blog at http://bloomablog.wordpress.com/2010/08/02/blooma-birth-story-anna-ezra-wow/

Dan

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I’ve just received the Volvo C70 to drive and play with for a few days. What fun!

I’ve owned several Volvos over the years – a S60 and a V70 – and have a soft spot for them. The cars are so solidly built, handle very well, and give me both great confidence in driving and a wonderful sense of safety; all very important things to me, as I’m raising a family, yet not wanting to give up the pleasure of driving. I’ve always loved to drive. At probably 10 years old, I started driving. I would sit on my grandfather’s lap at first on his farm tractor, and then the farm truck – an old Ford that you would see in pictures of the Old West, rusting away in some field. As soon as I could work – mowing lawns at about 12 years old – I started to buy toys: mini-bikes, go-karts, two old Simcas which I assembled into one running car, motorcycles and then my first street car at 16 – a 1965 Ford Mustang. Since, I’ve owned at least 15 cars.

My Volvos continued the pleasures of being on the road for me. They were cars that I could afford at the time, and I still believe were the best cars for the money. Getting my hands on the very stylish and well designed C70 was a treat. The first day, I put the top down and drove to dinner through the canyons, because to me, convertibles are best for off-the-highway driving. It was chilly, so the heat was on and the windows up, but the sky was right there. On Sunday, I took my family to Geoffrey’s for brunch, again top down – even with June Gloom and warm clothing. My entire family enjoyed the ride along the coast.

The car is simple and well laid out. Nicely designed for the driver. The seats, as always, are Volvo comfortable and easily adjusted to find the right fit. It’s quiet in spite of being a convertible and pretty stiff, which I prefer. It handles very nicely and offers a great sense of being totally in control, while providing the driver the comfort of knowing that it will do what is asked of it.  Putting the top up and down is great fun, and it’s also fun to watch people watching it. Even though hardtop convertibles are common today, the wonder of the engineering never passes.

It’s a terrific car – I was sorry to return it!

George

Irv Gordon with his 1966 Volvo P1800.

Happy birthday to our most famous and enduring brand ambassador, Irv Gordon of East Patchogue, Long Island.

Irv turns 70 today, an honorable achievement for anyone. But, with Irv, it’s always about big numbers. He’s driven more than 2.8 million miles in his 1966 Volvo P1800. And, today, on the big 7-0, he’s affirming his goal of reaching three million miles by the time he’s 73 – forever enshrining him as an iron man in automotive longevity.

Irv purchased his Volvo in June 1966, and immediately fell in love, driving 1,500 miles in the first 48 hours. With a 125-mile round-trip daily commute, a fanatical dedication to vehicle maintenance and a passion for driving, Irv logged 500,000 miles in 10 years.

In 1998 with 1.69 million miles, he made the Guinness Book of World Records for most miles driven by a single owner in a non-commercial vehicle. In 2002, he drove the car’s two-millionth mile down Times Square to national and international media attention.

Irv – like any mighty record-holder at the top of his game – is mindful of his legacy, as well as setting a record no one can beat.

“Three million miles by my 73^rd birthday sounds right,” Irv recently said. “But, whether I reach that mark is more up to me than it is the car. The car’s parts have long proven they can take it, but I’m not so sure about my own. Either way, it will be a fantastic testament to the engineering genius of Volvo as well as to the resiliency of folks my age.

“Three million miles also is an iron clad number that I’d like to think sits right up there with DiMaggio’s consecutive game hitting streak. Who’s going to beat that? No one.”

However, Irv says he’s unsure what to do with his Volvo after three million miles, though he has considered selling it for no less than one dollar per each mile he’s driven.

“I used to think I’d park it in a museum where people will get to enjoy seeing the car that beat the odds – all with the same engine, same radio, same axles, same transmission and of course the same driver,” Irv said. “Now I think, ‘no way.’ I’ll either keep driving it or sell it for $3 million.”

And what would he do if he made $3 million off the car?

“I’d spend it on traveling,” he said. “Road trips, of course.”

To follow Irv’s adventures, follow him on Facebook or keep following our blog.

An S60 hello to you all.

Last year we took XC60 on tour. Our goal was to show something completely different in two ways: design and safety. No other Volvo ever looked as good, (okay, I think the first C70 Coupe was stunning, especially in Saffron color), but the XC60 was really the first showing of our new design evolution. We also needed to demonstrate how City Safety – a world first in safety – worked.

Think about it: We go through life driving a couple of million miles and never test safety … hopefully not. Then along comes a car that begs to be tested, but doing it with your own XC60, well, that’s not going to work. So we went on the road to let folks try City Safety. In the end, about 3,941 out of 6,311 (knowing Bill Buchka, Mgr. Brand and Launch Communications, asking for an approximate number will get me exact numbers – Swedes don’t do ‘approximate’) tested City Safety.

The car is stunning; it has performance and handling akin to our last generation S60 R car, and features Pedestrian Detection with Full Auto Braking. So rather than hunting real pedestrians, we’re doing real, live, come on down and try it, demonstrations – again with Bill Buchka at the helm.

Here are some details:

We just announced the start of our upcoming Naughty Volvo Tour to launch the All-New 2011 Volvo S60.  The Naughty Volvo Tour, which will stop at around 150 Volvo retailers across the U.S. and in Canada, kicked off on July 6 in Cranston, R.I., Tulsa, Okla. and Tucson, Ariz., and will conclude in the fall.

“The 2011 Volvo S60 is really going to make an impression in the midsize sedan segment,” said Doug Speck, VCNA president and CEO.  “Not only is it the most dynamic Volvo we’ve ever produced, but it also introduces the world-first Pedestrian Detection with Full Auto Brake technology, which will automatically stop the car if it senses an impending collision with a pedestrian.  We’re excited to show the S60 to consumers so they can judge for themselves.”

Touted “the sportiest Volvo ever,” the All-New Volvo S60 is equipped with a turbocharged T6 engine, which puts out 300 horsepower and 325 lb.-ft. of torque, and comes standard with all-wheel-drive.  Its breathtaking new design captures the imagination and sets the heart racing like no other Volvo sedan, with the C-pillar stretching sensually all the way to the taillights – giving the impression of a 4-door coupe.

The All-New Volvo S60 is also available with Pedestrian Detection with Full Auto Brake, a groundbreaking technological solution that actively helps the driver avoid accidents.  Volvo’s radar- and camera-based system can detect pedestrians in front of the car, warn the driver if someone walks out into its path, and then automatically activate the S60’s full braking power if the driver fails to respond in time.

The Naughty Volvo Tour is a series of retailer-hosted experiential events, which allow attendees to preview the All-New Volvo S60 before it goes on sale.  Utilizing multimedia interactive displays to emphasize the car’s design, performance and safety attributes will heighten the sensory experience.  Demonstrations of the Pedestrian Detection system in action will also be available.

For a full tour schedule and to register to attend a retailer tour event, please visit http://naughty.volvocars.us/.  Here, saved you some mouse work http://www.volvocars.com/us/all-cars/volvo-s60/Pages/default.aspx?s60tourhub

Come on down, try and hit a dummy, you just might save a real life someday.

dan

I sent an equally sparse reply: ‘?’.  And of course, nothing back from Sören. So around 4 a.m. this morning, as my brain was fertilizing itself with sleep, a couple of synaptic nerves connected. Clive Bengtsson and Whiplash Mary. Sören and Christer did this video about Volvo safety – one of the best we’ve every done. There’s lots of Sören tweaks in it, so pay attention. Sören is like me working an easy Sudoku puzzle: I’m out of eraser long before I get it.

Good week to you all.

dan