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Volvo S60 - Athletic sedan with increased appeal

25 May 2004

• Volvo’s sportiest sedan model
• More athletic appearance, added muscle and enhanced safety
• Sales target 70,000 cars
• Built in Ghent, Belgium

The sporty Volvo S60 sedan gets an even more athletic appearance – and even more muscle. "The enhanced design in combination with improved driving properties and a more powerful T5 engine will make the Volvo S60 an even more attractive choice for the customer looking for a sporty sedan," says Hans-Olov Olsson, President and CEO at Volvo Cars. The exterior design changes boost the car’s sporty profile, while the interior changes aim at further enhancing the aura of quality and comfort. The Volvo S60 is now also available with the sophisticated FOUR-C (Continuously Controlled Chassis Concept) active chassis – and the T5 five-cylinder turbocharged engine has been given a vitamin boost to pump out 260 bhp instead of the previous 250 bhp. "We could pretty much say that the T5 has spent some time working out at the gym to gain some impressive new muscles," comments Hans-Olov Olsson.

Sportier – and safer!
What is more, the safety level of the Volvo S60 is being further enhanced with a number of new features, such as the smart camera-based BLIS (Blind Spot Information System), which monitors the driver’s "blind spots". "In this way, the enhanced Volvo S60 is an excellent example of where Volvo Cars is heading. We are continuously reinforcing our positions when it comes to design and driving properties – yet without compromising on our determination to continue leading the way in terms of safety," says Hans-Olov Olsson.

Emotional appeal to different target groups
The introduction of the new Volvo S40, which also radiates sporty design in combination with excellent driving properties and world-class safety, generates a certain degree of in-house competition for the Volvo S60. "From the purely rational viewpoint, there is a certain amount of overlap regarding these two cars’ characteristics and pricing. But if we look at the situation from the emotional perspective, these are two entirely different models – and we feel that they appeal to two entirely different target groups. The Volvo S60 is a larger car, available with five-cylinder engines only, and is thus the more exclusive and powerful choice," continues Hans-Olov Olsson.

Made in Ghent, Belgium
The revitalised Volvo S60 will reach the showrooms in August 2004 and Volvo Cars expects to sell about 70,000 units during the first year. The USA is by far the largest single market for the Volvo S60, followed by United Kingdom, Sweden, Germany and Spain. In Europe, 55 percent of all Volvo S60s sold this year are expected to be diesel-powered. The Volvo S60 is built in Ghent in Belgium, together with the recently introduced Volvo S40 and Volvo V50 models.

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