Press Releases

Volvo S40 tops auto journalists’ list as Best New Sport Compact

 

For immediate release

 

TORONTO (Dec. 7, 2004) – The sporty, new Volvo S40 sedan, with its dynamic style, exhilarating driving character and class-leading safety technology, has been named the Best New Sport Compact car for 2005 by the members of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC), the association announced today.

 

The S40 T5 topped a tough field of competitors, besting the Ford Focus ST, Kia Spectra5, Mazdaspeed MX5 Miata, Saab 9-2X, Saturn ION Red Line and Toyota Corolla XRS in balloting by journalist members at the annual AJAC Car of the Year “Test Fest” event in October. Results of the voting were released today.

 

The annual AJAC judging provides Canada’s top auto writers and broadcasters the opportunity to test the year’s new vehicles, back-to-back, under identical conditions on the race track and on the road. Journalists judge the cars on style, design, handling, comfort and a host of other criteria, and compare objective measure of acceleration and braking performance. More than 50 journalists took part in the 2005 judging. The votes are tabulated by an independent organization.

 

The AJAC Car of the Year judging is believed to be one of the most comprehensive and objective evaluation programs in the world. Complete results will be posted at www.ajac.ca.

 

The 2005 V50 sportswagon was named as a finalist in the judging for Best New Stationwagon.

 

The 2005 Volvo S40 will now be considered for the overall AJAC Canadian Car of the Year. The results of that voting will be released in January, 2005.

 

“I know we raised some eyebrows when we entered the new S40 in the sport compact category,” said Larry Futers, Vice President Marketing, Volvo Cars of Canada Ltd. “But with the performance of the 218 hp T5, the 6-speed manual transmission, the handling of the car, the stance – we were confident putting it up against the best in the class.”

 

“We’ve made an important point: The S40 can perform at the top of this class and still have all the traditional virtues of a Volvo,” said Futers. “This really is performance for a new generation.”

 

The S40 is available in two popular models – the S40 2.4i and the T5. A Volvo-developed all-wheel drive system is available on the T5 version. The 2.4i has a base price of $29,995 while the T5 starts at $34,995.

 

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 44 Volvo automobile retailers across the country. The company’s product range includes the flagship S80 luxury sedan, the versatile V70 wagon, the S60 sports sedan, the exotic C70 convertible and an XC-line of vehicles that includes the rugged XC70 and the award-winning XC90 sport utility vehicle. For 2005, the company is introducing the completely redesigned S40 sports sedan and V50 sportswagon, providing performance for a new generation.

 

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Information:

Doug Mepham

1 877 975 1572

doug.Mepham@bellnet.ca

Chad Heard

416 540 4229

chadheard@rogers.com

Keywords:
S40, Product News
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