The R-Design sports division of the the guys from Volvo has prepared a package of major changes for the new S60 and V60. The Sedan and the Wagon receive a new design and a substantially improved road holding.

After they intense promoted new Volvo S60 and follow to present for the public the wagon version of it, called V60, Volvo is concerned and those who expect something more dynamic from the Swedish models. More specifically, the R-Design sports division has prepared a series of important changes for sedan and wagon, which will beat with BMW 3 Series and Audi A4.

The engineering team has substantially changed the direction, which now offers a more precise response and a better feedback. The suspensions were also changed, especially in the rear part, to get a better response and to remove the sensation of rolling. The stiffness of the suspensions has damping increased by 15%, but not very much affect the indoor comfort.

The control system, DSTC has not escaped by the list of changes, a number of new electronic systems, including the already known Corner Traction Control, able to help substantially to close cornering, being recalibrated.

The R-design package can be ordered with all engines currently on the S60 and V60, including even the ecological version, named DRIVe, powered by a diesel engine of 1.6-liters and 115 HP.

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Geely hopes that Volvo to be able to sell until 2015 approximately 600,000 units per year. For this, the Swedes will release C20, a rival for Audi A1 and the S90 sedan.

Although they promised that they will not influence the Volvo evolution, the new owners from Geely seem to express their own ideas on the Swedish models. Li Shu-Fu, the CEO of the Asian Group, said that he wants to contribute in coming next years to increase the Volvo sales, the Swedes being forced to extend their range if they want to count on the auto market.

If last year, the Scandinavians have delivered 335,000 cars at worldwide, in 2011 the new owners hoped to reach an annual sales figure of 400,000 units, based on the intake and the income expansion on the Chinese market.

The Geely president plans not stop here. Li Shu-Fu wants an annual sales figure of 600,000 units until 2015, but to achieving this goal is need of fresh forces. Volvo can count on the new Volvo S60 and V60, but will need a competitor in the small segment where there are already Audi A1, Mini and maybe in the future, Saab 92.

The model name will be C20 and will be promoted as the safest small class competitor, a balance between security and premium features. Volvo will use also by a top model, the admiral ship S90, already anticipated by the specialty press. The model will compete with cars like Mercedes S-Class and Audi A8, also relying on the safety and comfort.

On the Offroad segment, Volvo remains only with XC60, barely after a few years is scheduled a compact SUV, called XC30.

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The tuners at Heico Sportiv revealed the first picture and informations about the package for the new Volvo S60.

The Germans at Heico Sportiv built a tuning package for Volvo S60. The Swedish model received both aesthetic and technical enhancements, the last ones via a performance package to increase the dynamic behavior of the engine. The tuning kit is not ready yet, but the German tuners have presented a couple of sketches and a picture of the car with all the elements of the sports package.

The aesthetic package consists in a spoiler for the front bumper, a new set of side skirts, a spoiler for the trunk and a rear bumper that includes an air diffuser. The new diffuser of the rear bumper integrates a sports exhaust, and S60 also received a set of light alloy wheels with a special design. As for the rims in the picture, the German tuners chose a finish that copies the polished steel.

Regarding the performances of the new Volvo S60, the guys at Heico stood back from giving any details about the coming package. The most expensive performance package could offer a 330 HP engine, but the Germans said nothing about which unit is all about. As they would choose do modify the T6 unit, the power increase would be to modest. The performance package also includes a suspension kit, which offers stiffer springs and shocks next to a lowered ride hight.

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Volvo offered today the full information about the new generation of the S60 model, expected to debut live at Geneva. The sedan comes with the best dynamic behavior of Volvo’s history.

Volvo published today all the official information and images of the new generation S60 and the Swedes hope that it will attract the premium public. Thought to be a best-seller, like his predecessor, which totaled over one million orders, the new S60 comes with a new design philosophy and features the typical Scandinavian shapes both on the inside and outside.

The press release also reminds of the good performance in terms of handling, some voices within Volvo past saying in the past that this is the most dynamic sedan in the history of the Swedish producer. To improve roadholding, Volvo has used an extended platform of the current Mondeo, on which they have operated a number of important changes to the suspension, metal structure and the dampers.

S60 will impress with the precision of its steering and body rigidity, which offers more firm roadholding. But for everyone’s taste, the Swedes have managed to obtain two types of behavior for the medium class sedan: one called Dynamic and one Comfort. In the European market customers will enjoy the Dynamic setting on standard, Comfort being on the optionals the list. On the US and Asian markets the things will exactly the other way.

Under the hood there will be petrol engines and two diesels, already familiar to fans of the brand. We are talking about the six-cylinder 3.0-liter unit able to offer 304 HP and the four-cylinder 2.0-liter turbo engine, willing to deliver up to 203 HP. The five-cylinder diesels can be ordered in the versions with 163 and 205 HP.

The range of engines will gani another four engines throughout the year, from which two petrol units, a 2.0-liter and 240 HP one and the other one 1.6-liter and 180 HP.

The Swedish automaker is known worldwide for its progress on safety, as for the S60 will take all such technologies designed by the Swedish engineers. An absolute novelty is the Pedestrian Detection System, which, as its name says, it detects impending impact with pedestrians and brakes faster than the driver. The system will be completed by the famous City Safety, which applies the brakes when it detects an imminent impact with the vehicle in front of you.

Peter Horbury, chief designer of Volvo, said in the press release that S60 is the piece that completes the process of modernization of the Volvo. “Our next job is to make bigger steps. We have one per cent of the world market, so our cars need to be recognised.”, concluded Horbury.

Volvo plans to sell approximately 90,000 units in the first year of existence of the new S60. The figure could rise on the way up to 110,000 units per year.

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