Car News - Latest Indian Car News & Views | CarWalehttp://www.carwale.com/news/Latest news updates on Indian car industry, expert views and interviews exclusively on CarWale.Copyright 2012 CarWaleCarWale RSS Generator8693<![CDATA[Volvo goes the D3 way]]>http://www.carwale.com/news/8693-volvo-goes-the-d3-way.htmlhttp://www.carwale.com/news/8693-volvo-goes-the-d3-way.htmlCarWale Team2/15/2012 3:52:00 PM1113http://img.carwale.com/ec/8693/img/m/8693_mhttp://img.carwale.com/ec/8693/img/m/8693_lVolvo has launched the S60, S80 and XC60 with an all new 5-cylinder D3 diesel engine. The company has also added some features across the baseline models across its portfolio, at the same time they have priced it aggressively.

]]>Volvo has launched the S60, S80 and XC60 with an all new 5-cylinder D3 diesel engine. The company has also added some features across the baseline models across its portfolio, at the same time they have priced it aggressively.

The 2.0 litre D3 engine has been designed to deliver 163bhp and 400 Nm of torque. The company claims that the D3 will deliver a mileage of 18.5 kmpl in the S60, 17.8 kmpl and 14.7 kmpl in the XC60. All three cars will also receive leather interior as standard apart from the city safety system which includes the Laser Assisted Automatic Braking. Traction Control and Active Bending Lights have also been included as standard in the baseline Kinetic models of all the above mentioned three.

The company has priced the S60 Kinetic at 23.99 lakh with an introductory offer of 23.2 lakh. The S80 Kinetic will be available for 31.99 lakh with an introductory price of 31.2 lakh. While the XC60 Kinetic will be priced at 33.99 lakh with an introductory price of 33.2 lakh. These introductory prices will be valid till the end of March. 

The company which sold a little more than 300 odd units last year, said that it had set itself a target of 800 units in 2012 and 20,000 units in 2020. Volvo though still does not have any plans of assembling cars in India, as according to them they are managing to import cars at very attractive and competitive prices. 

 

]]>4140<![CDATA[Volvo Will Never Get Phasing Out Cars to India ]]>http://www.carwale.com/news/4140-volvo-will-never-get-phasing-out-cars-to-india.htmlhttp://www.carwale.com/news/4140-volvo-will-never-get-phasing-out-cars-to-india.htmlSreehari Nair2/9/2010 2:15:18 PM2380http://img.carwale.com/ec/4140/img/m/4140_mhttp://img.carwale.com/ec/4140/img/m/4140_lIn an exclusive interview to CarWale.com, Paul de Voijs, managing director, Volvo Auto India talks about the silent existence of the brand and its dynamic future plansVolvo has been present in India for some time now but still the brand remains unknown to many?Volvo Auto is relatively still new to the market. Although, we had a Ford backing, Volvo always took its own decisions. We opened our first dealership in March 2008 in Chandigarh which makes us a very young player in the market and there is a strong reason why we haven’t made much noise in the Indian market till today. For any company to become a brand takes some time. Volvo might be a reckoned name outside India but here one has to start from scratch. We did not want to come to India and launch an ‘x’ amount of cars; idea was to go at a slower pace and make people get used to the brand. Exploding into the market with too much hype didn’t make sense to us. This is probably one of the reasons why people are not much aware about Volvo cars in India but we are now increasing the marketing and branding activities for the cars in India.

]]>In an exclusive interview to CarWale.com, Paul de Voijs, managing director, Volvo Auto India talks about the silent existence of the brand and its dynamic future plans

Volvo has been present in India for some time now but still the brand remains unknown to many?
Volvo Auto is relatively still new to the market. Although, we had a Ford backing, Volvo always took its own decisions. We opened our first dealership in March 2008 in Chandigarh which makes us a very young player in the market and there is a strong reason why we haven’t made much noise in the Indian market till today. For any company to become a brand takes some time. Volvo might be a reckoned name outside India but here one has to start from scratch. We did not want to come to India and launch an ‘x’ amount of cars; idea was to go at a slower pace and make people get used to the brand. Exploding into the market with too much hype didn’t make sense to us. This is probably one of the reasons why people are not much aware about Volvo cars in India but we are now increasing the marketing and branding activities for the cars in India.

What kind of branding activities are being undertaken by Volvo?
The most successful branding exercise that paid off well for the company was the use of Volvo XC90 R-design in the movie 3 Idiots. When the ideation began we weren’t sure how successful the efforts would pay off. It was a big budget movie with Aamir Khan; will people take notice of a car in a movie, what if the movie fails to hit the jackpot at box office? There were so many questions but we decided to go ahead because the characters in the movie had a striking resemblance to the characteristics of the vehicle – vibrant, energetic and sporty. After having tasted success we have accelerated a few other plans, in fact, our advertising agency is working over time to chalk out some good campaigns.

What pole position do you foresee for yourself in the premium sedan market?
We are not in the number game; we haven’t decided that we have to sell ‘n’ number of cars in India by the end of this year or fiscal. When I was given the charge of India, I had told the company specifically not to expect any superficial results in the first few years. We want to make our foundations strong first which will help us to serve the Indian customers well. We could have entered India announcing a 10 dealership deal across India but we didn’t do that because managing the same would have been cumbersome and ultimately can lead to bad results, which is why people feel we are ‘aggressive’ enough.

The luxury sedan market in India is very niche and naive. How do you justify your entry to India and lying so low in marketing?
India is a country of hatchbacks and the luxury car segment is very small in India, I think around 0.5 per cent. But the potential that India has is tremendous. The recession in India is over, the standard of living has increased and there is surplus money to splurge. The economy too is growing at a good pace compared to world standards and this is what makes the country interesting.

The cars that will be launched in India, will that have the same specifications as your international launches?
Yes, very much. We do not believe in getting watered down versions for the Indian market nor any outgoing models. We do not want our Indian audience to feel any different than our international ones. The cars might come a little late to India but it would be what is available internationally. As a matter of fact, Volvo could have launched the S60 in India but we decided not to because it was phasing out internationally and was to be replaced with a newer version. We decided to launch only the new one here. That is our commitment to India.

You have worked in more than six countries. What difference do you find in the Indian market compared to others?
The Indian market is dynamic and growing. In fact, India has a striking resemblance to the Russian market. Like in Russia, in India too cars are associated with the status symbol. The better you do in life, the bigger the car will become which is primarily the main reason why weekend getaway cars didn’t do well here. A decade back the Russian market for luxury sedans was around 0.5% and now the market has grown to 5.5%, so I am hoping that the Indian luxury car market which is also around the same to grow to that level in the next few years.

Coming to the unveiling of the new S80, the car is priced very competitively at Rs38.79 lakhs considering the twin turbo engine that it sports? How will you cut a profit?
Yes, the pricing of the car has been kept at that level deliberately. We could have put a tag of Rs 45-50 lakh for the car but since we are here for long term, we wanted to provide as many features as possible at a reasonable price. At this price tag we will be taking a dig at our own pockets. We might also increase the price in a couple of months as this is an introductory offer. But yes the pricing have been kept at this level to attract customers.

Do you plan to have Volvo showrooms in the near future? How do you plan to interact with customers?
We do not have any plans in the immediate future. We have always been helped by the word of mouth publicity. People who bought our cars recommend us highly and it has helped us a lot in sales. As of now it’s just dealerships. We would soon be having dealership agreements in Bangalore, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Goa etc.

]]>4063<![CDATA[Volvo Unveils Upgraded S80]]>http://www.carwale.com/news/4063-volvo-unveils-upgraded-s80.htmlhttp://www.carwale.com/news/4063-volvo-unveils-upgraded-s80.htmlSreehari Nair2/3/2010 3:19:56 PM1952http://img.carwale.com/ec/4063/img/m/4063_mhttp://img.carwale.com/ec/4063/img/m/4063_lVolvo India, today unveiled the new S80 with additional features and a new diesel engine in Mumbai on Wednesday.

]]>Volvo India, today unveiled the new S80 with additional features and a new diesel engine in Mumbai on Wednesday.

Speaking at the unveiling, Paul de Voijs, managing director, Volvo India said, "The new S80 sports a twin turbo diesel engine that gives an output of 205hp and 420Nm of torque. Our mission was to develop a modern diesel engine that will also meet the euro 5 norms. With this launch we want to say that we are serious about India and in the coming few months there are going to be more exciting products from the Volvo stable."

The D5 diesel engine has several advanced technical features. With the latest twin turbo and Peizo high pressure technology, the five-cylinder engine will be high on power and low on fuel consumption. The D5 engine offers 205 horsepower, 420 Nm of torque over a very wide range of engine revs. The fuel consumption and CO2 emission, officials claim stands at 13.1 kmpl and 203gms/km respectively.





















































Engine & Performance



Old D5



New D5



Improvement



Power



185hp



205hp



11%



Torque



400 nm



420 nm



5%



Fuel Efficiency



12. 73 kmpl



13.1 kmpl



3%



CO2



209gm/ km



203gm/ km



3%



Turbo



Single



Twin Turbo



NA



Environment Classification



Euro 4



Euro 5



NA



Sound Level



72 db



66 db



8%



The highlights of S80:
Developed entirely in-house by Volvo
Euro 5 compliant
Fuel Efficiency as tested by ARAI - 13.09 kmpl and CO2 – 203 gms/ km
Dual tail pipes for a sportier look
Premium Sound with Dolby Pro-logic II Dynaudio
Rear Seat Entertainment (RSE) Dual Screen DVD
Personal Car Communicator
Available in 9 colour options

The new S80 is priced at Rs 38.79lakhs (ex-showroom Mumbai) and Rs 37lakhs (ex-showroom Delhi).

Elaborating on its further plans in India, Voijs said, "We have been in India since 2007 and every year we have been growing, This year we plan to strike dealerships in cities like Bangalore, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Goa etc and with more launches expected, this year will be very exciting."

Volvo is expected to launch the XC60 by mid 2010 and the new S60 somewhere around last quarter of 2010 or first quarter of 2011 in India.

]]>2401<![CDATA[Volvo on safety technology]]>http://www.carwale.com/news/2401-volvo-on-safety-technology.htmlhttp://www.carwale.com/news/2401-volvo-on-safety-technology.htmlCharles Pennefather5/14/2009 1:00:32 PM3052http://img.carwale.com/ec/2401/img/m/2401_mhttp://img.carwale.com/ec/2401/img/m/2401_lWe drove Volvo's S80 V8 in pouring rain last August, but that didn't stop us from using its full 315bhp. We aren't driving gods, but that's the kind of engineering that goes into a Volvo. They have always put safety first, and seem a little out of place in our country, where we usually comply with safety standards like a helmet or seat-belt only when we're threatened with legal action. Mr.Thomas Broberg, Senior Technical Advior at the Volvo Cars Safety Centre, answered a few of our questions regarding Volvo's space-age safety systems and their plans for our market.

]]>We drove Volvo's S80 V8 in pouring rain last August, but that didn't stop us from using its full 315bhp. We aren't driving gods, but that's the kind of engineering that goes into a Volvo. They have always put safety first, and seem a little out of place in our country, where we usually comply with safety standards like a helmet or seat-belt only when we're threatened with legal action. Mr.Thomas Broberg, Senior Technical Advior at the Volvo Cars Safety Centre, answered a few of our questions regarding Volvo's space-age safety systems and their plans for our market.

CarWale: What is the ‘collision risk zone’ for pedestrians?

Thomas Broberg: There is no formal definition on what risk zone is but it means the area on front of the car where there is a risk that the car can collide with a pedestrian, if you are not reacting to the warning and brake. Every year, thousands of pedestrians are injured and killed on roads and Volvo is working to reduce this figure. At the end of 2008, a unique new technology was unveiled that allows the car to detect pedestrians in the collision risk zone, alerting the driver in advance. If the driver does not respond to the warning, the car brakes itself and at low speeds the accident can even be entirely avoided. And if a pedestrian is hit, the front of the Volvo is designed to absorb the impact energy and reduce the severity of personal injuries.

Collision Warning with Full Auto Brake and pedestrian detection reacts when a pedestrian walks out in front of a car - and will activate the car's full braking power if the driver does not respond to the danger. This innovation was presented in the Volvo S60 Concept, unveiled for the first time at the Detroit Motor Show in early January 2009.

This safety innovation is the next step in Volvo Cars' continuous development of technologies that detect dangerous situations and that actively help the driver avoid an accident. The previous stages were developed to help the driver avoid collisions with other vehicles. Now we are taking a giant step forward with a feature that also boosts safety for unprotected road-users. What is more, we are now advancing from fifty percent to full automatic braking power. To our knowledge, none of our competitors have made such progress in this area.

CW: Will the alcolock and Volvo Personal Car Communicator be available in India? If they aren’t already here, when can we expect them to get here?

TB: PCC is available in India today and we are constantly evaluating adding product and features to the Indian market, and if there is an interest for the Alcoguard from the Indian customers we will introduce it accordingly.

CW: Could you please explain the statement ‘the alcolock is based on advanced fuel-cell technology’?

TB: Along with failure to use safety belts and excessive speed, drink-driving is one of the biggest traffic-safety problems. Since the start of 2008, Volvo has offered an alcolock with the aim of preventing drivers from driving under the influence of alcohol. The alcolock is based on advanced fuel-cell technology and is very reliable.

Alcoguard utilizes fuel-cell technology - the very same technology that is used by most police forces in Europe. Before the car can be started, the driver has to blow into the wireless hand-held unit. This unit is the size of a remote control and it is stored and charged in a compartment behind the centre console. The driver's breath is analysed in the hand-held unit which then transmits the results via radio signal to the car's electronic control system. If the blood-alcohol limit of 0.2 g/l is exceeded, the engine will not start. Thanks to advanced sensors, it is not possible to use external air sources such as a pump to cheat the system.

Fuel-cell technology is more expensive but it also produces far better results. Unlike semi-conductors, for instance, fuel-cells only react to ethanol and nothing else. In the fuel-cell, the ethanol molecules pass through a sensitive membrane and an electrical current is generated. This current is then measured. Higher current means more alcohol in the driver's breath.

The results of the breathalyser test are shown via three LEDs in the hand-held unit.
Green: 0.0 - 0.1 g/l alcohol, the car's engine starts
Yellow: 0.1 - 0.2 g/l alcohol, the car will start, but the driver should not drive
Red: more than 0.2 g/l alcohol, the car's engine will not start

CW: More and more technology is taking over the safety aspect of driving – Volvo’s ‘auto braking’ system, for example. What measures has Volvo got in place to ensure that it cannot be sued by a driver for an accident that occurs anyway, even if it is within the parameters specified by Volvo?

TB: In a Volvo, safety is an integrated solution. It is the interplay between its design and various safety technologies that determines how safe a car is, and not just the amount of individual components and features. Volvo's preventative safety systems are developed to help support the driver avoid an accident, never take over responsibility from the driver.

The new Volvo XC60 was launched with City Safety - Volvo Cars' in-house developed unique technology for avoiding low-speed collisions in city traffic and tailbacks. City Safety in combination with the recently introduced Collision Warning with Auto Brake means that Volvo Cars now offer functions for auto-braking at all speeds. Surveys indicate that 75 percent of all reported collisions take place at speeds of up to 30 km/h. In 50 percent of all rear end collisions the driver has not braked at all before the collision, mainly due to distraction. In these cases, City Safety could make a crucial difference. City Safety brakes the car automatically if the driver is about to drive into the vehicle in front. A collision can either thus be entirely avoided or if this is not possible, damage to cars and personal injuries can be reduced.

CW: How does Volvo plan to market itself in India?

TB: Volvo Cars sees India as a very important market for the future for our company. Even though 2009 is a difficult year for the automotive industry, our Marketing investments in India are kept on a relatively stable level. We are constantly exploring new possibilities in India and in addition to our current product offer with S80 and XC90 we are evaluating further product launches. Safety, environment and our modern Scandinavian design are core to Volvo and will also be part of our communication in India.

CW: Indians, as a thumb rule, are notoriously casual about road safety – how will you tackle this problem?

TB: Volvo designs cars for a global market with safety as one of it's major core values. That means that a Volvo sold anywhere has the same high safety performance. We also work with communication trying to spread our knowledge about road traffic safety around the world including India. For example in India we are currently running a safety campaign with a leading media house spreading awareness on the importance of wearing a safety belt while driving. We have received great participation from the viewers. We hope to undertake such partnerships in future on a long term basis to spread the awareness on Safety.

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