GOTHENBURG, Sweden — The 2011 Volvo S60 gets a major exterior makeover, giving the Swedish sedan more road presence that allows it to compete on a serious level with the Audi A4, BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class. Volvo showed off images of the new S60 on Tuesday, ahead of the car's formal debut at the 2010 Geneva Auto Show in March.
The new S60 is slated to go on sale in the U.S. in late summer 2010, said Dan Johnston, Volvo Cars of North America spokesman, in response to an e-mailed query by Inside Line. No pricing is available at this point. The 2009 Volvo S60 starts at $31,775, including an $825 destination charge.
Judging from the images, the 2011 Volvo S60 is more sculpted, with curvier headlights, broader shoulders, dramatic hood creases and a more upscale look overall. Volvo said in a statement that it was going after "emotional appeal, sporty design and dynamic driving properties."
Volvo is being fairly stingy with details on the S60, although it noted that the car can be equipped with Pedestrian Detection, a safety feature that can detect pedestrians in front of the car and brake automatically if the driver doesn't react in time. Johnston said that Pedestrian Detection "has not been decided for option[al] or standard fitted" at this point.
The car will be built starting in early summer 2010 at the Volvo plant in Gent, Belgium.
Inside Line says: The Swedes are finally figuring out how to inject some sex appeal into their cars, judging by the new S60. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
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renorally says:
12:14 PM, 02/18/2010
Ridiculous safety aids? My first new car was a 1990 volvo 740. About 6 months after I bought it, I was parked on a side street, I got in, turned the key put on my seatbelt and looked up just in time to see a full size chevy truck cross the lane at about 40 miles an hour and slam into the front of my car. Both cars were totaled. She was a drunk driver, no seat belt...massive facial and chest injuries. I came out with a few scratches from the airbag. I didn't even go to the hospital. I replaced it with another 740 and drove it until it hit 412,000 miles. My daughters first car was a volvo s60..mainly because of the "ridiculous" safety aids.
jeffb0101 says:
02:51 PM, 11/10/2009
Why are you so worried about their safety aids?
benny92ex says:
02:20 PM, 11/10/2009
Hopefully Volvo has focused more on driving dynamics and a little less on ridiculous safety aids that are more or less intrusive rather that helpful.