For immediate release
Two new versions of the Volvo S80 luxury sedan, flagship of Volvo line, arrive in Canada this year with significant design and technology innovations to broaden the model's appeal to buyers of luxury performance sedans.
Innovations include:
"We're talking here about significant changes - changes that will give the model considerably enhanced competitiveness in its segment," says Hans-Olov Olsson, president and chief executive officer of Volvo Car Corporation. "The Volvo S80 has always been renowned for its safety, comfort and space. Now we are taking a huge stride forward in terms of elegance and driving dynamics, too."
The S80 AWD's all-wheel drive is a proven electronically controlled Active On-Demand (AOD) system, shared with the Volvo S60 AWD. It provides nearly instantaneous power distribution between the front and rear wheels, and like the entire expanding Volvo all-wheel-drive lineup, operates completely automatically and independent of the driver.
The system powers the front wheels in normal driving conditions. Only when sensors detect that the front wheels have lost traction does the AWD deliver power to the rear wheels.
The S80 AWD is equipped with DSTC - Dynamic Stability and Traction Control - and employs the DSTC sensors to provide some of the necessary information to the AWD system.
Standard with the S80 AWD is Volvo's 2.5T engine, a proven and powerful partner to the AWD system. The 5-cylinder aluminum engine, with its variable valve timing and low-pressure turbocharger, produces 208 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 236 ft-lbs of torque at a low 1,500 rpm.
Two new versions of S80 /2
Two smooth, in-line 6-cylinder engines power the S80 2.9 and T6 versions. A normally-aspirated 2.9-litre I-6 rated at 194 hp at 5,200 rpm is standard on the S80 2.9. A twin-turbocharged version, the T6 with a lusty 268 hp, is one of the most powerful engines for its size in the industry.
For 2004, the outstanding drive characteristics of the S80 T6 have been enhanced with the introduction of the optional Four-C (Continuously Controlled Chassis Concept) active-chassis system, recently introduced on the exclusive Volvo R-cars, the Volvo S60 R and V70 R. In the S80 T6, Four-C allows the driver the choice of two suspension settings - Comfort and Sport - at the touch of a button.
The Four-C technology has been adapted for the first time for front-wheel drive and is exploited primarily to enhance comfort on the S80.
Four-C is able to process enormous amounts of information from sensors throughout the S80 chassis. The sensors send signals to a microprocessor, which computes the motions of the car and adjusts the stiffness of the shock absorbers so that the car is always parallel to the road surface.
The shock absorbers are updated with new information 500 times a second. This is made possible by a totally new technology, the first in the world of cars, developed jointly with Öhlins Racing AB, one of the world's leading developers of high-tech shock absorber systems, and shock absorber manufacturer Monroe.
The refinements to the styling of the 2004 S80 focus on a number of subtle, but very effective styling details. The exterior has a more elegant stance with all new front and rear fascias. The interior is enhanced with such features as new door panels and chronograph-inspired instruments similar to those seen in the recently introduced R-cars.
Another new feature is the power steering from German specialist ZF. This gives the Volvo S80 more direct steering response and increased steering precision.
North American dealers will offer the new S80 versions in mid-2003. The company expects to sell more than 40,000 cars a year, 16,000 of them in North America.
Two new versions of S80 /3
Volvo Cars of Canada Ltd. is part of the Volvo Car Corporation of Göteborg, Sweden. The company provides marketing, sales, parts, service, technology and training support to the 42 Volvo automobile retailers across the country.
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Information:
Doug Mepham
MacDonald & Co.
1-877-975-1572
mdoug.mepham@bellnet.ca
Media website:
www.volvocars-pr.ca
05/03
