gear kereta

Posted by: Anthony Lim

Volvo Car Malaysia has begun a service campaign aimed at offering all Volvo owners some very Swede deals as well a host of rewards this June and July.

From today to July 31, Volvo owners bringing in their cars for service and/or repairs at the nearest Volvo authorised service centres will get a Volvo inspection, brake check, engine cooling system inspection for free, as well as free brake fluid if you replace both brake pads and discs, and there are discounts of up to 25% on selected parts and accessories.

That's not all - Volvo owners also stand a chance to win prizes when they service/repair their vehicles during the promotion period. All you need to do is answer three simple questions, complete a slogan, attach the contest form to a single repair/service invoice (for any amount) and you're in the running.

The grand prize is a RM10,000 voucher, while second and third prizes are RM7,000 and RM5,000 vouchers respectively, all redeemable for Volvo parts and accessories, ceetainly very handy to have.

The Volvo service centres are open Mon-Fri from 8.30am-5.30pm and from 8.30am-12.30pm on Sat. For more info, contact Federal Auto Cars at 03-2274 9300, Swedish Marque at 1-800-882-222 or Angkatan Hebat (Kota Kinabalu) at 088-485 544. Alternately, visit www.volvocars.com.my.

Posted by: Anthony Lim

Volvo Car Malaysia officially introduced the facelifted S80 sedan at a press preview this morning, and leading the list of enhancements and improvements on the new 2.5T is a significant increase in power output.

The car's 2.5l five-cylinder twin-cam, turbocharged block - mated to a six-speed Geartronic transmission - now offers 231bhp at 4,800rpm, up from the 200bhp of before, and torque is also up, with 340Nm available at 1,200-4,800rpm, compared to 300Nm previously. Performance figures include a 0-100kmh time of 7.5secs and a 210kmh top speed.

Revisions to the exterior include a larger iron mark on the front grille and a more liberal use of chrome trim - in this case, on the front and rear eyeliner as well as on all the lower doors.

Insides, changes include the use of silk metal effect sheeting as decor trim on a new four-spoke steering wheel and centre stack, as well as on the gear selector and around the starter button. There are also new instrument dials with aluminium outlines and soft leather upholstery, finished in Sandstone Beige.

The S80 now gets equipped with a Blind Spot Information System, which uses cameras mounted in the door mirrors to register if another vehicle is in the blind spot at the side of the car.

Other technology systems present in the car include Adaptive Cruise Control, which works at speeds above 30kmh to automatically adjust - from five different selectable time intervals - the car's distance to vehicles ahead, as well as Collision Warning with Auto Brake, Driver Alert Control and Lane Departure Warning. The car also comes with Personal Car Communicator (PCC) with keyless drive as standard.

Riding on 17-inch Canicula alloy wheels with 225/50 series tyres, and available in two new additional colours, Ember Black and Ice White, the S80 2.5T is priced at RM295,000 (on the road, without insurance). As with all Volvos, the car comes with a three-year warranty and three years of complimentary Volvo On Call roadside assistance.

Volvo Car Malaysia has just launched the refreshed C30 for the local market. There are two models to choose from including the C30 2.0 and the top-of-the-line C30 T5 R-Design. The most noticeable difference is the restyled dynamic-looking front end that is also evident on other new Volvo’s such as the S60.

At the rear Volvo has replaced the black plastic panels with body colour in either the same or in contrasting colour. There are also two new wheel designs while the T5 R-Design variant gets dual chrome exhaust tailpipes. Volvo has also added a new Orange Flame Metallic body colour.

Improvements in the interior is mostly made up by a new ultra-thin centre stack that is finished in a new Oyster Burst Deco inspired by the surface texture of the classic Swedish Hagstrom guitar. There is also a new accessory styling kit that comprises of a fog lamp decor, a front skit-plate, side scuff plates with engraved C30 logo as well as a rear skid plate with an aluminum look.

The base 2.0 model is able to crank out 145hp and 185Nm of torque while the T5 R-Design features a 5-cylinder 2.5 liter engine that makes 230hp and a heathy 320Nm of torque. The former comes fitted with a 6-speed Powershift dual clutch transmission while the latter uses a 5-speed Geartronic.

True to Volvo’s nature the C30 also comes with a list of safety features. There is the Blind Spot Information system that alerts the driver if there is a vehicle in the Volvo’s blind spot, Dynamics Stablity Traction Control which is pretty much an electronic stability program, Active Dual-Xenon Bending lights that change the direction of the lights depending on steering angle and Adaptive Brake Lights which will flash all three brake lights (up to five flashes per second) if it detects a “panic braking” situation.

Pricing wise the C30 2.0 can be yours for RM215,000 (OTR without insurance) while the more powerful C30 T5 R-Design carries an RM259,000 (OTR without insurance) price tag.

Continue reading to check out more images of the Volvo C30.

take from http://paultan.org

Posted by: Anthony Lim

Chinese automaker Zhejiang Geely Holding Group expects to spend hundreds of millions of dollars beyond the US$1.8bil purchase price for Volvo Cars to make the Swedish car company profitable, Geely's chairman said on Tues.

Geely is projecting a total tab of US$2.7bil for its takeover of Volvo, with money beyond the purchase price to be spent on expanding production, chairman Li Shufu told reporters.

Li said three quarters of the total financing would come from Chinese banks and overseas capital markets while the rest would come from Geely.

In studying Volvo, Geely found the company's biggest problem was high research and development costs despite the fact that it makes cars on a much smaller scale than high-end rivals Daimler AG and BMW AG, said Li.

"We will find a way to let Volvo's technology play a better role and to expand their scale in order to lower the costs," said Li. He did not elaborate.

Chairman of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Li Shufu, left, Swedish Minister for Enterprise and Energy Maud Olofsson , a Volvo S60 car and CEO of Volvo Cars Corp Stephen ODell , right .- AP

Geely's acquisition of Volvo from Ford has been heralded as a breakthrough deal for China's auto industry, giving one of its most ambitious automakers a well-known, prestigious global brand and access to top-tier technology.

Li said Geely would not seek to impose its own corporate culture on Volvo but rather find ways to let the Swedish company exploit its strengths. "Geely is Geely; Volvo is Volvo. Geely will not produce Volvo, and Volvo will not produce Geely," Li said. He compared Geely's and Volvo's relationship to two brothers, not to a father and son.

As part of the deal, Volvo brings with it ownership of critical technologies and other intellectual property, including some that was developed under Ford's ownership, said Zhao Fuquan, Geely's chief technology officer. Zhao said Geely will have the right to use many of these technologies, though he did not say if they would be used on Geely branded models.

Geely, meaning Lucky in Chinese, has been looking for a critical edge in China, which is the world's biggest auto market and one in which foreign brands often dominate. At the same time Geely has coveted a solid foothold in Europe. Geely was earlier rumoured to have been bidding for Opel and Saab.

Geely's push abroad comes as the Chinese government has been encouraging companies to "go out" and take advantage of the global financial downturns. But earlier this year, Tengzhong Zhonggong, a heavy industrial equipment maker in southwestern China, failed to win government approval to buy the Hummer brand from General Motors. - AP