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Volvo building new AstaZero safety proving ground in Sweden

Volvo is an automaker committed to vehicle safety, setting an ambitious target for itself: by 2020, the Swedish automaker envisions that no one will be killed or seriously injured in one of its cars. In order to achieve that goal, Volvo has announced a new proving ground designed specifically to test safety solutions.
Called AstaZero, the new facility near the company's headquarters in Gothenburg, Sweden, is the result of a $70 million investment. It will cover some 500 acres, with over 60 acres of pavement, four city blocks and three and a half miles of highway. The Active Safety Test Area (the ASTA in AstaZero) will enable Volvo and its partners (including Scania trucks as well as government bodies and university development programs) to simulate city streets, highways, rural roads, roundabouts, T-junctions and more, combining traffic from cars, pedestrians, bicycles, motorcycles, buses, trucks and even animals in order to account for all manner of potential hazards.
The facility will enable Volvo to test active safety systems and autonomous vehicle operations, and even allow robots to test its prototypes in an adaptive environment that aims to be more flexible than existing proving grounds. Read more about Volvo's commitment to safety in the press release below.

First production Volvo S60 Polestar shown off

With the Volvo S60 Polestar going on sale in Australia this June, Volvo has finally released images and specs for the production version of the performance sedan. While no official build number has been announced, one image of the car's steering wheel shows a serial number plaque that says "No. 000/100" indicating that production will likely be limited to just 100 units in Australia. The press release states that the Australia run of Polestar-tuned S60s is a "pilot project" and that other potential markets are "under investigation."
Although it looks very similar to the S60 Polestar Concept we first saw at the LA Auto Show last year, the production version of the car sports a few changes. Visually, the front and rear fascias have been slightly modified from the concept car, as have the matte-black wheels. Inside, we see a different steering wheel that adds the aforementioned build sequence plaque but loses the suede leather accents, and there is also a sportier looking shift lever with a chrome handle that features a Polestar logo.
As for performance figures, rather than the 508-horsepower of the S60 Polestar Concept, the production version will be limited to 350 hp and more than 368 pound-feet of torque, which is still an improvement of about 25 hp and at least 14 lb-ft over a 2013 S60 R-Design. Polestar also tuned the six-speed automatic transmission and Haldex all-wheel-drive system for optimal performance leading to a top speed of 155 miles per hour and a 0-62 mph time of 4.9 seconds. The production S60 Polestar will still get suspension, brake and aerodynamic upgrades.

Volvo Concept Estate hauls in great expectations [w/videos]

You're looking at the third leg of Volvo's award-winning concept trilogy, the Concept Estate. Despite its banal name, this sweeping longroof showcar has our attention like few other cars at the Geneva Motor Show.
It's not just that we have a weakness for shooting brakes or Volvo's take on the genre in particular (we can see some P1800ES in this design). We just think this car is exceptionally well surfaced, with a fantastic stance and the sort of clean lines that are singularly appropriate of a Scandinavian design. We also appreciate the details that are expected to inform future production models, including the T-shaped headlamps, strong rear shoulders and floating grille mount. In fact, the vast majority of the Concept Estate's design idiom is expected to make it to showrooms in future models, starting with the long-overdue, second-generation XC90 crossover.
We hope - but don't expect - that attitude carries over to the interior, which has stunning, white leather, floating clamshell seats backed in plaid. If there's one cabin feature that's expected to make it to production, it's a derivative of the car's new infotainment system, which features a massive touchscreen with tablet-like gesture controls.