motor

MBDriver · 07-15-2005, 06:47 PM

more news for my JW Family.

Volvo Cars of North America, LLC (VCNA) today released the first official photos of the all-new Volvo C70. With its innovative three-piece retractable hardtop, the second generation C70 is a car that offers the best of both worlds. With the top up, it's a sporty coupe with dramatic, head-turning style. With the top stowed below the rear deck, it's an open-air convertible that invites wind-in-the-hair fun and excitement. What makes the all-new C70 even more appealing is that there is room for four people.
The all-new Volvo C70 will be unveiled at the 2005 Frankfurt Motor Show in mid-September, with sales beginning in the U.S. in the spring of 2006 – just in time for summer.

“We’ve succeeded in creating an attractive convertible which, at the mere touch of a button, converts into an equally elegant coupe. The customer gets two cars in one. Both with space for four adults,” says Volvo Cars President and CEO Hans-Olov Olsson.

Style-conscious convertible buyers will find the design of all-new C70 offers all of the freedom of a soft top, with the utility and personal security that only a hardtop can deliver upon. The forward-thrusting nose section and aggressively raked rear glass gives the car a powerful profile. “Putting together harmonious lines both with and without a roof is no easy job,” says Fedde Talsma, design manager for the all new Volvo C70. “We decided to start with the bold shape of a sports coupe and when we were satisfied with the result, we made the necessary adjustments to create a convertible.” Along its flowing fenders are the now ubiquitous shoulders that have become a Volvo design icon.

Unique Safety Solutions
The all-new Volvo C70 was developed to offer new standards of preventive and protective safety in the convertible market. The car has an advanced body structure and several solutions that make it unique among open-top cars. The lack of a fixed roof has been compensated for by reinforcements in the structure and sophisticated safety technology. One unique example is the new door-mounted inflatable curtain, which is part of the enhanced protection system for side impacts. Since the door-mounted inflatable curtain cannot be fitted within the headliner like other Volvos, it is fitted in the door and inflates upwards when it is deployed.

Volvo's safety engineers have fine-tuned the door-mounted inflatable curtain to be extra stiff. As a result, it remains upright for a longer period of time and helps to better protect the head in the event of a side impact. In addition, the curtain deflates slowly to help provide additional protection if the car rolls over. This is a unique solution in the automotive world.

High Torsional Rigidity
The body structure, in a carefully designed network of beams, not only contributes to the car’s high safety standards, it also gives the body extremely high torsional rigidity – twice as high as that of the previous C70 Convertible. With the roof up, torsional rigidity is increased by an impressive 10-15 percent over the convertible.

“A torsionally rigid body is important to the car’s ride and handling traits,” says C70 project manager Patrik Widerstrand. “It makes the car more stable and easier to control. It also makes the car more dynamic and fun to drive.” In the U.S. the all-new Volvo C70 will be powered by 2.5-liter in-line five-cylinder turbocharged engine that produces 218 hp and offers 236 lb.-ft. of torque.

Cooperation with Pininfarina
The development and manufacture of the all-new Volvo C70 is the result of a joint venture with renowned Italian company Pininfarina. “Pininfarina is an excellent partner with long experience of developing and building convertibles,” said Hans-Olov Olsson. Like its predecessor, the car will be built in Uddevalla, Sweden.

The first-generation C70 Convertible had its best year in 2004 with just over 8,000 cars sold globally. U.S. sales in 2004 totaled 4,069 units. “Our all new C70 is one of the first open-top cars in the premium segment with both a steel roof and space for four adults. We believe this is a highly sought-after combination. That’s why we expect to more than double our sales compared with the first-generation C70,” says Hans-Olov Olsson.

Pictures:

RC45 · 07-15-2005, 08:55 PM

Wow - Ford Contour Convertible... nice

Vansquish · 07-16-2005, 01:22 PM

Originally Posted by RC45

Wow - Ford Contour Convertible... nice

No no no...you've got it all wrong, can't you see it's a Chrysler Sebring? Look at the taillights!

At least the old C70 was an attractive car in its own right, this thing looks like a combination of a Sebring and the new S40.

JaguarEtype · 07-20-2005, 01:15 AM

I think one of the key concepts in this new volvo is the high torsional rigidity (body stiffness), it was a shame with the aston martin DB9 volante that without its roof it turned from a sharp focused sports car (standard DB9) to a wallowy plastic bucket
i believe top gear (with Richard Hammond) did the figures of the difference between the hard and soft top along the lines of 27000 Nm per degree (hard top) down to 15500 (soft top), and i doubt if you had the soft top up on the aston the rigidity would increase

atleast not as much as the 10-15% in that statement
and lets face i think volvo is ahead of the game in safety aspects compared to the rest of the motoring world, not too long ago i watched this beyond tomorrow programme and they had a look at a whole load of developing safety projects by volvo. one of which was with a cockpit that moves in order to absorb the impact of a crash, although we wont be seeing this for a good few years yet.

as for the looks well I'd pick the new C70 over a number of the larger convertibles, i feel a bit disapointed with the back end of some of the new and recent mercs, but the saabs on the other hand are fabulous (saw a bloody good one the other day.. black, nice mags, shiney all over *drool* )

SFDMALEX · 07-20-2005, 01:18 AM

Man the Swedes are no better at the drawing boards then Germans...and they say Americans cant make a pretty car hehe.

Global Warming · 07-20-2005, 01:32 AM

Looks nice to me for that type of car. Very good looking actually. And I bet it will be a very good price!! Better than all other like cars in its price range. But it’s FWD so I would never have any interest in it... But that’s not to say there is not a VERY BIG market for this car.

5vz-fe · 07-20-2005, 03:52 AM

Looks like a women shoe to me.

Sir_GT · 07-20-2005, 05:48 AM

I can't seem to see the point in this thing...

This is the automotive equivalent to 40-year old mums dressed like their 16-year old slutty kids. They've got the details of the tart look right but, somehow, it ends up looking very disturbing rather than attractive.

Gnome · 07-20-2005, 05:49 AM

Originally Posted by Vansquish

Originally Posted by RC45

Wow - Ford Contour Convertible... nice

No no no...you've got it all wrong, can't you see it's a Chrysler Sebring? Look at the taillights!

At least the old C70 was an attractive car in its own right, this thing looks like a combination of a Sebring and the new S40.

I'm sure it's basically a Sebring or Contour with some Volvo touches. Maybe the interior is upgraded to european standard, and some swedish build quality is added?

The first real 4 seater with a foldable metal roof is at least an achievement. The increased body rigidity is also nice on Volvos CV, if it is better than Saab, MB and Audi.

Ghostbat · 07-20-2005, 06:55 AM

Originally Posted by Sir_GT

I can't seem to see the point in this thing...

This is the automotive equivalent to 40-year old mums dressed like their 16-year old slutty kids. They've got the details of the tart look right but, somehow, it ends up looking very disturbing rather than attractive.

That's what you get when you put an englishman at the drawingboard..

JaguarEtype · 07-21-2005, 03:56 AM

could be worse, could look like just another butt ugly skyline