Here is Warren’s story: 2011 Volvo XC60: A virtue wagon that can tempt you to sin?

dan

So I called Toyota’s customer service line to have them explain exactly what systems were installed and when. Seems that starting model year 2011 they will have things fitted across their model line, but not all cars right now. Interesting.

Trying to get that list going again, I asked Bruno in Regulations and Compliance if he could help. So he started his own list. About one week later, I learned that Mike in Product Planning was putting a list together, too. As easy as it seemed, it was impossible to pin it all down. We know in the last four to five years we already have everything that Toyota’s Star Safety System has, and in one form or another those systems have been in our cars for many years.

Much like we do today, our most advanced systems – like City Safety and the upcoming Pedestrian Detection with Full Auto Brake – need progressively higher levels of electronics than prior generations. In fact, the XC60 has City Safety, yet it can not initially be fitted with Pedestrian Detection since its electronics are like version 9.00.01.01 and the S60 is 9.00.01.02 (made up numbers, but you get the idea).

So here’s what NY Times Blogger Dexter Ford said about Star Safety System:

“Toyota is the first full-line manufacturer to make the Star Safety System standard on all vehicles.”

Not certain what a “full-line” means. I guess if that means pick-up trucks, okay, you got us.

“Toyota Motor Sales is not aware of any Toyota patents on the five safety technologies, but we were innovative in combining these systems economically in non-luxury vehicles … ” states their advertising manager.

I wonder what luxury means? Guess that’s us. They never considered Volvo luxury in prior years. It’s good to know we’re now considered an upscale competitor to them, but we’re excluded from their definition of a car company that offers safety.

You know, safety isn’t a surface condition, it’s not something that is touted one year and dismissed the next. It is a constant target for improving quality of life for people in and around cars. Safety is not a marketing slogan, it’s not even a DNA issue. It’s more like an unseen bit of our Swedish soul. We’re very pleased that Toyota is finally adding safety to their cars that we have had in ours for years. Welcome to the party!

Dan

In early January, we fielded a call from one of History Channel’s segment producers, Powder House Productions.  “We are starting a new show on History Channel, can you guys send us a seat belt and air bag?” In my world that’s on open invitation,  kind of like you going into a candy shop with five bucks in your pocket and walking out with just about one of everything.

 Brenden, PH’s Associate Producer, wanted to dissect one of our seat belts and an air bag. So we chatted about Volvo safety, what we have been doing all these 80 something years (did you know a Swedish Mile is about 6 of our miles, wonder what years would be like if we did it the Swedish way?) and, doing what I love best – talking safety – we finished with: How about I give you a car to take apart? 

 Talk about standing out on a limb….I knew we had a few XC60′s that were either going back to Sweden or crushed here, they were used for our customer tour last year, to demo City Safety, which we are doing again this year but with S60 and Pedestrian Detection with Full Auto Braking, but not a clue if I could get an XC60 without having to pay for it.  We talked about XC60 safety, seven grades of metal, all to absorb energy to help reduce impacting loads on occupants, engine compartment designed to be a really nice barrier for impacts, whiplash protection seats, roof structure, City Safety, basically the whole list of what we do. And I kept walking out further on that limb. He bit and now I had to get one from our Marketing group.  Geno, head of PR, talked with John, head of Marketing and I had a car in about 15 minutes. I almost asked for two, but that old ‘gifted horse’ told me just to take the money and run.

 So one of Brenden’s guys came over to Rockleigh, picked up and headed to Integrated Armor Systems www.integratedarmor.com  down in Dallas, TX to not only Slice it but to make a “really cool spy car”.  I’m told it shoots flames and they wouldn’t  tell me what else  it can do. Then it went off to be crushed.

We don’t know when this segment will air but we will post here when we know date and time.

Good week to you,

dan

As part of the sponsorship, Volvo donated the Volvo XC60 Art Car, which is wrapped in an image designed by renowned muralist and children’s environmental advocate Wyland for a 2010 United Nations stamp issue about ocean conservation.  The Volvo XC60 Art Car was used to deliver art supplies to the schools along the tour and also shuttled Wyland to the premiere of Disneynature’s OCEANS, which will open nationwide on Earth Day.  The car can be seen in person at Downtown Disney on Earth Day.

Wards Auto World, widely acknowledged as one of the best ‘insider’ publications for our business, just announced our XC60 interior as one of the best for 2010.  My favorite, of course besides our XC60, is that Porsche Panamera –  it’s stunning. Rather than me gushing on how our interior design team nailed this one perfectly, read for your self.

dan

PRESS RELEASE

WARD’S ANNOUNCES AUTO INTERIOR OF THE YEAR AWARDS FOR 2010

(SOUTHFIELD, MI) April 12, 2010 – Ward’s Auto Interior of the Year Awards, North America’s only honors for excellence in automotive interiors, have been announced for 2010.  The list features winners in pricing and vehicle type categories, as well as special award winners for design, versatility and brand expression.

The 2010 Ward’s Auto Interior of the Year winners are:

• Subaru Outback (Popular-priced car under $29,999)

• Infiniti M56 (Premium-priced car)

• Lexus HS 250h (Hybrid car)

• Chevrolet Camaro (Sports car)

• Chevrolet Equinox (Popular-priced truck under $39,999)

• Volvo XC60 (Premium-priced truck)

• Acura ZDX  (Design Breakthrough)

• Mazdaspeed3 (Brand Expression)

• BMW 5-Series Gran Turismo (Design Versatility)

• Porsche Panamera (Inspired Design)

“For years, the focus on safety and functionality has given us drab, uninspired vehicle interiors,” said Ward’s AutoWorld Editor-in-Chief Drew Winter. “This year’s winners show style and original design is becoming as important inside the vehicle as it already is to the sheet metal outside.”

A team of eight Ward’s editors evaluated 40 vehicles that have either all-new or significantly upgraded interiors this year.  The vehicles – both car and truck – were divided into segments, with one winner named in each category.  In addition, Ward’s bestowed special awards for outstanding achievements in key areas. Having both designations allowed judges to rank vehicles against the entire field, regardless of segment and price.  Judging criteria included aesthetics and design harmony, comfort, driver information, ergonomics, fit and finish, materials, safety and overall value.

The awards will be presented during a ceremony held as part of the Ward’s Auto Interiors Conference on May 19 at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Dearborn, MI.  Registration details can be found online at www.autointeriors.com.

About Ward’s Automotive Group

Ward’s Automotive Group is a world-leading provider of auto industry news, data and analysis, having served the industry’s information needs for nearly 80 years. Ward’s AutoWorld is a monthly magazine serving more than 68,000 automotive professionals.  The twice-monthly newsletter Ward’s Engine & Vehicle Technology Update provides analysis of engineering advancements and technical issues. WardsAuto.com is an online subscription service delivering virtually all the industry news, data and analysis compiled by Ward’s Automotive Group, the world’s leader in automotive industry information. A Southfield, MI – based division of Penton Media, Inc., Ward’s Automotive Group also publishes the weekly industry newsletter Ward’s Automotive Reports, the monthly magazine Ward’s Dealer Business, and offers a wealth of other automotive information services including reference annuals, online databases, and customized data reports.

About Penton Media, Inc.

As a leading, independent, business-to-business media company, Penton knows business and how to create and disseminate the vital content that moves markets. Penton serves the information needs of more than six million business professionals every month in industries ranging from Agriculture and Aviation to Electronics, Natural Products, and Information Technology. With the majority of the company’s properties ranked the #1 or #2 information source for their respective industries, Penton is where professionals turn to gain the critical insight, expert analysis, and relevant connections needed to compete and succeed.  Headquartered in New York City, the privately held company is owned by MidOcean Partners and U.S. Equity Partners II, an investment fund sponsored by Wasserstein & Co., LP, and its co-investors.  For additional information on the company and its businesses, visit www.penton.com.

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]]> http://www.volvoblog.us/2010/04/12/wards-auto-interior-of-the-year-awards/feed/ 0 http://www.volvoblog.us/2009/12/04/volvo-xc60-wins-prestigious-2010-international-truck-of-the-year-award/ http://www.volvoblog.us/2009/12/04/volvo-xc60-wins-prestigious-2010-international-truck-of-the-year-award/#comments Fri, 04 Dec 2009 21:16:07 +0000 Anna Kruchowski http://www.thecarthatstopsitself.com/?p=714 Holy Cow! Just realized we started this blog November 24, 2008. Our goal was to support XC60 launch, but it also gave us an opportunity to look inside what we do. What a fitting one-year anniversary then to have XC60 acknowledged at this week’s Los Angeles Auto Show. No one person in our company can stand and take credit for this car. Earlier this year, we videoed, for this blog, just a few of my colleagues who helped launch XC60 (here, here and here), but there are thousands behind each one of us who go unnamed. One brick doesn’t make a home, same with taking a clean piece of paper in one hand and dream of what can be in the other. In truth, launching a new car takes everyone at Volvo. We believe this is the safest SUV and we believe it will advance safety thinking for years to come. In one way or another, everyone has done something to bring about this award.

Thanks for being part of our blog.

Kind regards,

dan

UPDATE: Check out this video for more on the XC60′s award: http://www.youtube.com/user/VolvoXC60

—

LOS ANGELES (Dec. 2, 2009) – The Volvo XC60 was named 2010 International Truck of the Year today by the International Car of the Year (ICOTY) jury. The award was given to Doug Speck, President and CEO of Volvo Cars of North America, LLC at the Volvo display at the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show. The XC60 was chosen over 10 new crossovers, SUVs and trucks by a distinguished panel of top automotive journalists.

“This ties a very pretty bow around what’s been a truly amazing year for Volvo,” commented Speck. “The XC60 has not only been recognized by the media but it’s been extremely well received by our customers.” The 2010 XC60 has helped VCNA earn six consecutive months of year-over-year sales increases since June.

The XC60 was chosen the winner from a panel of 19 automotive media from around the U.S. and Canada representing top newspapers, magazines and websites. The jurors must consider the ICOTY mission of “honoring vehicles that reflect an emotional connection between car and consumer lifestyles” when making their nominations. “The ICOTY awards are not centered on power and performance,” said Courtney Caldwell, ICOTY’s creator and executive producer. “It’s about how cars reflect our personalities, lifestyles and self image, an attitude most consumers identify with.”

Once approved by the ICOTY nominating committee, the awards jury then bases their decision on a number of important criteria: The vehicle must be new or substantially revised, it must be offered for sale to the general public by the judging deadline of November 16, 2009, and may not have been previously considered for the ICOTY Awards.

The International Truck of the Year award marks the 20^th accolade the Volvo XC60 has received since sales began in Europe in late 2008. The XC60 is the first vehicle to offer City Safety as standard equipment. This unique Volvo technology can help the driver avoid frontal collisions at low speed. If the driver is about to drive into the rear of a vehicle and does not react in time, the XC60 will apply the brakes by itself.

About ICOTY: The ICOTY Awards were founded and launched in 1997 by Courtney Caldwell, editor-in-chief of Road & Travel Magazine. The mission of the ICOTY Awards is to shed light on the emotional connection between cars and consumers. Awards are presented to automakers that most successfully achieve that goal through the design and marketing of their vehicles, and how well those vehicles reflect consumer lifestyles.

Dan

INTERNATIONAL CAR OF THE YEAR AWARDS JURY ANNOUNCES
TOP 3 NOMINEES for 2010

DETROIT- October 28, 2009 – Car lovers around the world fasten your seatbelts, as the top contenders for the 2010 International Car and Truck of the Year (ICOTY) battle it out in a race to the finish line. The ICOTY jury is proud to announce its top three nominees in each category.  After months of intense vehicle testing by the auto industry’s leading automotive editors and journalists, only the most innovative and emotionally compelling vehicles have cruised into the top three positions. Listed alphabetically, the top three nominees are…

2010 INTERNATIONAL CAR OF THE YEAR
Chevrolet Camaro
Ford Taurus
Hyundai Genesis Coupe

2010 INTERNATIONAL TRUCK OF THE YEAR
Chevrolet Equinox
Ford Transit Connect
Volvo XC60

The mission of the ICOTY Awards is to honor and highlight the emotional connection between cars and consumers, in addition to how well automakers achieve that goal through the design and marketing of their vehicles.

“The awards are not centered on power and performance,” said Courtney Caldwell, ICOTY’s creator and executive producer. “It’s about how cars reflect our personalities, lifestyles and self image, an attitude most consumers can identify with.”

For the first time in its fourteen year history, the annual ICOTY Award announcements will be moved from the North American International Auto Show to the Los Angeles Auto Show in December 2009. There, the City of Angels will transform into the City of Cars as glitz, glamour and gorgeous automobiles fill the Los Angeles Convention Center. Winning vehicles for International Car of the Year and International Truck of the Year will be revealed and trophies presented by members of the new ICOTY nominating committee.

The mission of this five-member committee was to establish vehicle eligibility criteria, which jurors used as a guideline when voting. The committee was also responsible for approving eligible vehicles for the 2010 International Car and Truck of the Year (ICOTY) nominated by each automaker.  Members of the committee include Kevin Smith, editorial director,
Edmunds.com; James Bell, executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book; Rick Cotta, editor, Consumer Guide Automotive; Perry Stern, editor, MSN Autos; and Howard Walker, automotive journalist, Palm Beach Illustrated.

The ICOTY jury is made up of a pantheon of nationally-renowned automotive editors and journalists.  They include Denise McCluggage, senior-contributing editor, Auto Week; Kevin Smith, editorial director, Edmunds.com; Ken Gross, contributing editor, Playboy; James Bell, executive marketing analyst, Kelley Blue Book; Joe Weisenfelder, senior editor and lead reviewer, Cars.com; Rick Cotta, editor, Consumer Guide Automotive; Perry Stern, editor, MSN Autos; Howard Walker, automotive journalist, Palm Beach Illustrated; Steve Siler, west coast bureau chief, Caranddriver.com; Dan Wiese, auto editor, St. Louis Post-Dispatch; Ann Job, automotive test driver, Associated Press; John Rettie, auto contributor, Autotrader.com; Bob Plunkett, syndicated automotive columnist; Kim Viano, lead auto editor, Yahoo! Autos; Greg Whale, automotive contributor for New Car Test Drive, Truck Trend; BJ Killeen, editor-at-large, Driver Talk Radio; Jeff Voth, auto writer, Sun Media and Yahoo! Canada Autos; and Courtney Caldwell, editor-in-chief, Earth, Wind & Power Media and Road & Travel Magazine.

Media Contact: Liz Kaadou
Interviews available
ph: 248.546.4646
e: liz.kaadou@earthwindpower.com

Now the cool part:  we’ve created a unique online campaign that emphasizes the natural connection between the main character, Edward Cullen, and the XC60. After all, Edward is a beautiful, powerful and protective character to millions of Twilight fans and the campaign “What Drives Edward” features those shared qualities and have enabled Volvo to play a prominent role in the Twilight Saga craze.

What Drives Edward.com – Online sweepstakes and contest:
Beginning today, fans can visit www.whatdrivesedward.com to enter an online sweepstakes to win a trip and two tickets to the L.A. premiere of New Moon on November 16. A second contest will run from November 1 to November 23 where fans will be able to play a challenging game that requires them to solve a series of puzzles closely related to the story. The first U.S. player who completes all of the puzzles correctly wins a shiny new Volvo XC60, just like the one Edward drives in the movie.

Around 1974 I found “The Annotated Dracula” by Bram Stoker, annotations by Leonard Wolf; a really great read – like having two books in one. Best part, in the first chapter someone was having Chicken Paprika for dinner in Budapest. Wolf’s annotation includes a recipe for that dish which was actually rather good.

So grab Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” to get the blood flowing (sorry couldn’t resist) and enter our contest.

Dan

Let’s do a little math: A 60 mile trip at 60 mph will get you to your destination in 60 minutes. Pump it up to 70 mph and you shave nine minutes off your drive. At 75 mph, you’ll be there 12 minutes sooner than traveling at 60 mph. A shorter trip of 30 miles at 75 mph would get you to your destination six minutes sooner. A speeding ticket in my state starts around $200, not to mention an increased insurance rate. You get the idea.

Life in the right lane isn’t too bad. I used to drive a good 10 mph over posted limits; it was just my way of being rebellious. Now that I’m driving slower (not real slow, but slower) life seems a little less stressful. Oh, I still watch for brake lights ahead, and areas known to hide ticket writers, yet I just feel a little better by using less gas and working out math equations. Do you know that one gallon of gas weights about eight pounds and puts about 10 pounds of carbon in the air? Very interesting…

Just watching my cars’ trip computer, the difference in fuel consumption was about seven miles per gallon (from 75 mph to 65 mph, maybe even better if I slowed to 60, which is unlikely). Even a five mph difference with a 20-gallon gas tank, I get that 100 extra miles or the difference between one extra gas stop on our long commute north every so often.

I don’t know about you, but many times someone passes me, only to meet up at the same exit few minutes later. Something to think about…

On a semi-related note, for those of you who own an XC60, go have a great weekend. For the rest of us, governmental crash data shows that about 75 percent of all accidents occur below 10 mph. Nuisance, pain-in-the-neck, bumper busters; ones that can cause thousands in damages, not to mention whiplash injuries. Just be careful and don’t follow too close to that car in front of you.

Finally, remind one friend to buckle up rear seated passengers.

Take care and have a wonderful July 4th weekend.

Dan