1998 Volvo V70 Base Wagon 4-door 2.4l on 2040-cars

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Future Polestar Volvo models could feature diesel, EV tech

Volvo's Polestar sub-brand has made the transition nicely from being the company's racing arm to building some seriously cool, Swedish cars. Now that it has a few models under its belt, it plans to grow larger and greener. The next-generation of Polestar-tuned vehicles are rumored to include high-performance hybrid and diesel powertrains.
While it still doesn't have the brand recognition of BMW M or Mercedes-Benz AMG, Polestar is on the growth path. It's representatives recently told Autoblog that its latest, tuned S60 and V60 models "mark the start of an extended production car model range." In addition to that expansion, Volvo has given its performance division a greater responsibility for engineering future vehicles, according to Autocar. It even helped develop the new Drive-E engine, which we quite liked when we took it for a spin in an S60.
Polestar's boss hinted at a hybrid model to Autocar, a move that seems obvious once you think about it. The Drive-E engine was designed from the beginning to accept hybrid layouts. The division's plan is to put and electric motor on the rear axle to both increase torque off the line and provide all-wheel drive. As Drive-E also offers diesel variants, that is in the cards as well for the future, but the company didn't go into much detail. Polestar appears to be the upcoming shooting star of the performance car world.

Volvo reveals 400-hp twin-charged PHEV power for new XC90 [UPDATE]

UPDATE: An earlier version of this post indicated that the larger of the conventional diesel engines was a five-cylinder. However all three powertrains announced for the upcoming new XC90 are actually four-cylinder engines. The text has been updated accordingly.
Volvo rolled in to new territory when it introduced the original XC90 back in 2002, creating its first SUV and one of its top-selling models. But that was 12 years ago. In the meantime it's followed up with the smaller XC60, but what the brand faithful and the industry at large have been looking forward to most is the arrival of the new XC90.
Previewed by the Concept XC Coupe at the Detroit Auto Show, the new XC90 is set to arrive later this year, but to keep us on our toes, the Swedish automaker has been steadily trickling out a stream of information and photos. Two months ago it gave us a glimpse inside the cabin, and last month it revealed its new infotainment system, but now Volvo has released details on the upcoming new XC90's powertrain.

IIHS says these are the safest cars of 2013

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has revealed its annual list of Top Safety Picks, an award that highlights automobiles it says offer "superior crash protection." A new and still more significant award, the Top Safety Pick+ honor, is given to those vehicles that earn good ratings for occupant protection in four out of five areas of measure. And while some 117 vehicles were given the TSP seal of approval for 2013, just 13 passed muster for TSP+.
To be fair, IIHS only evaluated 29 vehicles with its new testing procedures for TSP+ (we'd expect that the number of qualified cars will rise substantially for 2014). Luxury and Near Luxury midsize cars were the first groups evaluated, followed by midsizers in the Moderately Priced Cars category - unsurprisingly, it's only midsize cars that you'll find among the class this year.
Only two luxury sedans made the list of 13 for 2013: the Acura TL and Volvo S60. The other 11 cars on the list included entries from domestic, Japanese and German car makers: Dodge Avenger, Chrysler 200, Ford Fusion, Honda Accord (sedan and coupe), Kia Optima (but not its close kin, the Hyundai Sonata, strangely), Nissan Altima, Subaru Legacy and Outback, Suzuki Kizashi and the Volkswagen Passat all made the grade.