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Volvo's all-new S80 enters the ultra-competitive luxury sedan market with
deserving confidence and with a distinctive, dynamic design language, direct
focus on high comfort, poised driving properties, and world-class safety.
Performance and power are entrenched priorities in the luxury sedan segment,
and Volvo Car's commitment to delivery these qualities yields an enthusiastic
and refined combination of 235kW V8 power and all-wheel-drive performance.
Volvo Car also reveals a significant and entirely new inline six-cylinder
engine in the bid to attract the most demanding car buyers.
The all-new Volvo S80 will be revealed to the public at the international
motor show in Geneva on 28 February. The luxurious S80 in next scheduled to
arrive in European dealerships during June.
“The all-new S80 is entering an immensely tough sector where the competition
is razor-sharp and the customers have very high expectations. We are now
challenging the best in the segment with a very special car. It radiates what we
call ‘Scandinavian Luxury’, clean and elegant lines and intelligent function
where every single detail has been designed with the user’s well-being in mind,”
says Fredik Arp, President and CEO of Volvo Cars.
Inviting and intelligent
By Volvo definition, Scandinavian Luxury
radiates a different, more human prestige by combining aesthetics and technology
in an inviting and intelligent way. Scandinavian Luxury is expressed in the S80
through precise and elegant design, technology that gives the user practical
benefit or sheer enjoyment in every single detail – and a sense of
responsibility in the form of world-class safety and environmental care.
Scandinavian Luxury differs from traditional luxury, which bases its appeal
on being elitist, expensive and excluding.
“The new S80 is about evolutionary design. All the shapes and materials
represent a continuous development of our design language. On the outside we
have given the S80 a more compact and dynamic stance. Inside we have created an
even more inviting atmosphere with refined materials and colours that blend
smoothly with smart, user-friendly technology,” explains Volvo Cars’ design
director Steve Mattin.
Power by V8 or by I6
The second-generation S80 receives Volvo’s
compact, transversely fitted V8 and six-speed automatic transmission. Offering
the pleasure of 235kW and 440Nm of torque, the V8 is compact with a 60-degree
configuration. With four catalytic converters and advanced electronics, this
engine, which was first introduced in the Volvo XC90, is one of the cleanest V8s
on the market and the first V8 to meet ULEV II emission requirements.
DSTC (Dynamic Stability and Traction Control) is fitted as standard to S80 V8
with all-wheel drive.
The all-new S80 also introduces an entirely new naturally-aspirated 3.2-litre
six-cylinder engine, a unit so compact in length that it is approximately the
same size as Volvo’s five-cylinder engines. The new I6 engine mates to a
six-speed automatic transmission because the camshaft drive mechanism and the
ancillaries have been relocated and partially integrated into the engine block
itself.
From displacement of 3.2 litres, the new engine produces 175kW and maximum
torque of 320Nm.
The S80's engine range also includes in Europe the latest generation of
Volvo’s in-house developed five-cylinder turbodiesel with 138kW and 400Nm of
torque.
New warning system
The safety level is world-class. Among the S80's
safety features are a patented structure with further development and new active
safety systems.
The all new S80 will be the first Volvo model to feature Adaptive Cruise
Control with Collision Warning and Brake Support.
This system encompasses two functions:
Adaptive Cruise Control
automatically maintains a selected distance from the vehicle in front.
Adaptive Cruise Control can be disarmed but it doesn't lay dormant. The
system continues to monitor distance to the vehicle in front. If that distance
reduces rapidly, the system senses a potential collision. The system alerts the
driver by activating a buzzer and warning lights. At the same time, the braking
system is alerted and prepared to brake with maximum effectiveness.
The new S80 has active Bi-Xenon headlights that point the beam of light in
turn with the bending road to provide the best possible visibility.
The advanced PCC (Personal Car Communicator) remote control unit is a world
first. PCC features a number of intelligent functions. Even before the driver
gets to the car, he or she can check the security level, for example if the car
is locked or whether the alarm has been activated. A heartbeat sensor warns if
someone is hiding inside the car.
World-class audio system
The all-new Volvo S80 can of course be
equipped with Volvo’s Premium Sound audio system. A Digital ICE Power amplifier
from Alpine, Dolby Pro Logic II Surround and loudspeakers from Dynaudio of
Denmark interact to create an audio experience of superb quality.
“We are convinced that the all-new Volvo S80 will be a very strong contender.
It will win over and impress many new customers. We expect 70 percent of our
annual volume of 50,000 cars to be purchased by customers who do not drive a
Volvo today,” says Fredrik Arp.
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