Starting with Volvo’s premium sedan model, a special badge on the C-pillar hints at the enhanced features inside, which include a leather wrapped instrument panel, ventilated soft leather seats with massage function, leather-covered door panels, an aluminum center console storage compartment and an analogue clock on the dashboard. The extra thick carpets and an optional fridge in the rear seat that comes with a set of Swedish crystal glasses round off the equipment upgrades.
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While Volvo did not release any technical details on the Concept Universe, the fact that it measures less than 5 meters in length points at a design study for a replacement for the firm’s S80 sedan and not a larger, Mercedes-Benz S-Class rival that the Swedish company’s Chinese owner Geely has been recently talking about.
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Both cars continue to use a 1.6-liter diesel with 109HP and 240Nm of peak torque that's hooked up to a five-speed manual gearbox.
However, Volvo's engineers employed a smart battery recharging system that 'forces' the alternator to charge the battery only when the engine is operating at low load (e.g. when driving downhill), while they also redesigned the tensioner and alternator pulleys.
"Smart battery recharging is the most important measure," says Ulf Nordström, Technical Project manager at Volvo Cars.
"It is primarily thanks to this that we have dipped below the 120-gram level that gives car owners tax breaks and other benefits in a number of European countries. What is more, one might say that we offer the normal driver one free tank of fuel a year," Nordström added.
The Swedish automaker said that the reduction in fuel consumption from a combined 4.9 lt/100 km to 4.5 l/100 km means that someone driving 15,000 km a year will save 60 liters of diesel or as Nordström put it, one fuel tank.
Volvo did not disclose any performance figures for the updated 2010MY S80 and V70 DRIVe, but just to get an idea, the 2009MY S80 DRIVe accelerates from standstill to 100km/h in a claimed 12.4 seconds and reaches a top speed of 118mph or 189 km/h.
We say that, while any efforts to improve CO2 emissions and fuel consumption are more than welcome, fitting a puny 1.6-liter diesel engine in cars of the size and weight of the S80 and V70, isn't exactly pioneering anything new...
Even though Volvo did not mention anything about Ford, we suspect that the new four-cylinder unit that combines turbocharging technology and direct injection with twin variable camshafts, is either the same engine or heavily based on FoMoCo's new 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine that will be used on several cars including the European Mondeo and the Australian Falcon.
Volvo said that the new 2.0 GTDi petrol engine produces an output of 203 horsepower and 300 Nm or 221.3 lb-ft of peak torque that is sustained from 1750 rpm all the way up to 4,000 rpm.
The engine will be offered in combination with Volvo's automatic six-speed Powershift transmission or a six-speed manual gearbox
"We've succeeded in making a four-cylinder engine that is as powerful as a 2.5-litre five-cylinder unit, and it's also much more energy-efficient," said Magnus Jonsson, head of Product Development at Volvo Cars.
"One of the most important reasons behind the results is our new, patented turbo system that has been tailor-made for smaller energy-efficient engines," Jonsson added.
With this new engine and the six-speed manual gearbox, the S80 sedan accelerates from zero to 100km/h (62mph) in 7.9 seconds while returning a combined fuel consumption of 7.9 lt /100km which is equal to 29.8mpg US and 35.8mpg UK.
Volvo said that the new 2.0 GTDi engine is being initially launched on markets that offer tax incentives for engines below two liters in displacement including South-East Asia, the Netherlands, China and Japan, adding that more countries/regions will follow later in the year.
European automakers are doing their best to fulfill the 'procrustean fantasies' of Chinese buyers who seem to find the executive-feeling of a long-wheelbase sedan completely irresistible. Following Audi and its LWB A4 sedan, Volvo presented the S80L, at the 6th Guangzhou Motor Show in south China. The long-wheelbase version of the S80 sedan has been specifically designed for the Chinese market and it will be built at the CFMA Chongqing plant. Compared to its standard sibling, the S80L features a 14cm or 5.5-inches longer wheelbase with all this extra length benefiting rear-seat passengers."Volvo made a decision to produce its flagship sedan, the S80, in China, with upgrades to suit the tastes of Chinese consumers' and to meet the increasing demand for premium cars in China," said Volvo Car China CEO, Dr. Alexander Klose.
