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Volvo V90 production to end as brand eyes future without estates

Volvo V90 production to end as brand eyes future without estates

Brand's largest and most luxurious estate will meet its end in the coming weeks Production of the Volvo V90 will end in September, the brand has confirmed to Autocar. It said in a statement that the large estate’s demise was “in accordance” with its “global cycle plan”, with the related S90 saloon having been axed last year to make way for the electric ES90 liftback . That model is due in the UK early next year, but it remains to be seen whether it will spawn a traditional estate. Asked at the ES90’s unveiling whether Volvo could ditch estates for good, then CEO Jim Rowan replied: “Yeah, because I think it’s changed, right? SUVs have changed with ride height.” Rowan suggested that the ES90’s raised ride height means it has some crossover with SUVs. Moreover, its hatchback boot and 40:20:40-split rear seats give it similar functionality to an estate. He added that the XC60 SUV could be repositioned to help fulfil the role of the V90: “Rather than bring a V90, for example, are we better to position [the XC60] in a slightly different way? We have the Black Edition, we have the Cross Country edition. So we then now have different editions of the same base car.” Rowan’s replacement, Håkan Samuelsson, has yet to hint at any change in tack. However, Volvo’s estates have proven their popularity in recent years: the V60 and V90 were removed from the UK line-up in 2023, but were reinstated in July 2024 due to popular demand. Production of the smaller V60 will continue for the foreseeable and “UK customers will still be able to order this model”, according to Volvo UK. It added that buyers interested in the V90 should enquire about stock with itself or their local Volvo dealer.

Critics warn against government's £25m for EV charging gullies

Critics warn against government's £25m for EV charging gullies

New solution should enable more to charge at home – but critics say it’s not viable A government grant of £25 million to support new cross-pavement EV charging schemes has been hailed as a major boost to the take-up of electric cars by enabling households without a driveway to charge an EV cheaply on the road. The cash will be spent on installing covered gullies that can carry a charge cable across a pavement to an EV parked on the road. It is hoped the solution will tackle a problem faced by around nine million UK homes and in turn drive up the uptake of EVs. However, critics are worried the solution still has significant challenges to overcome, especially around running costs and usability, before it becomes a fully viable solution. Many councils are already using the cash to roll out pilot schemes. Oxfordshire County Council, for example, has made £700,000 available for 500 gullies and money towards home chargers. “A third of Oxfordshire households don’t have off-street parking, so we believe this could give residents the confidence to switch to an EV,” said the council’s environment chief councillor, Judy Roberts. “Being able to access home electricity rates and park in your usual spot are the sorts of things that are likely to make EV ownership a reality for many people.” Dorset’s Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council has approved a similar scheme, with almost 30% of households in the district lacking off-street parking. However, councillors noted the limitations of the gullies, which will require owners to be able to secure a parking space within reach of their charge cable. Instead, “households will have to negotiate with their neighbours over use of the parking space”, said councillor Andy Hadley. Gully suppliers such as Kerbo Charge say that most cables can reach an adjoining space. There are also financial issues. For example, despite the government’s support, households must still contribute to the cost of applying for, installing and maintaining the gully. In the case of Oxfordshire’s scheme, residents must pay £300 for a two-year licence. After that, households need to pay an annual fee of £100 to cover ‘operating costs’. The householder is also responsible for the pavement’s reinstatement should they move or no longer require the gully. These costs are unavoidable: Oxfordshire County Council and others say that, for safety reasons, people can’t install a gully themselves or have it privately arranged. Defending the costs, a council spokesperson said it is roughly equal to what, in 12 months, a household would save charging at home compared with using a public charger.

Volvo C30 - the Swedish swing and a miss

Volvo C30 - the Swedish swing and a miss

Volvo's sophisticated coupe was flawed when new. But with used prices starting from less than £2500... “I should try the 1.6 diesel if I were you.” The words were the Volvo PR man’s, and were slightly disappointing to hear given that this was seemingly the least exciting version in the C30 range. But the truth was already out, and our pragmatic PR knew it. He’d driven them all, and the 1.6D had the best chassis, because it had the most pliant suspension. What was the truth? That despite borrowing heavily from the parts inventory of the best small family hatchback on the planet, this Volvo was very far from being the world’s best small four-seater coupé. It was baffling, really. Volvo was part of the Ford empire at the time, specifically the Premier Automotive Group if you remember that ( Aston Martin , Jaguar , Land Rover , Lincoln and Volvo were its components, from 1999 to its final 2010 dismembering) and it was able to use the Ford Focus as the basis for this small and classy coupé. Which meant that, potentially, it could build on the best small hatchback chassis in the business and a decent array of engines. But only potentially. The wasting of some of this potential would only emerge when the wrong kinds of bump and bend spoiled Volvo’s day. Before that, we could all get excited about the C30’s slightly offbeat design, a tailgate entirely of glass, a long, tapering roof, high-stacked taillights, a wedge of side windows and a neatly thrusting nose among the highlights. True, to the uninitiated it looked much the same as a three-door hatchback, but if its pertly distinctive rear end and wheel-arch extensions didn’t disabuse you of that notion, the roundly unhelpful tailgate opening, small boot and limited rear head room certainly would. All of these drawbacks are typical of coupés, of course – these are the sacrifices that must usually be made for that style. The C30 was following a lineage of small, practical Volvo coupés stretching back to the P1800 ES, a shooting brake version of the pretty P1800 coupé. That had four slightly confined seats and a frameless glass tailgate, as did the 1987 480ES, which the C30 replaced after an 11-year pause. It was keenly anticipated, Volvo first hinting at the C30 with the 2001 SCC concept in 2001. A year later, Volvo committed to a production version, although it took six years to emerge. By that time, the keen – in the UK, at least – wanted the C30 now. And that meant Right Now. But many were thwarted by supply problems, losing the C30 that vital early sales momentum. Despite this, Volvo’s smallest just outsold the 480 ES over its seven-year life, finding well over 22,000 UK buyers. Apart from its subtly distinctive styling, C30 buyers also got an interior of unusually clean sculpture, the smooth escarpment of the upper dash a contrast to an aluminium centre console thin enough for stuff to be stored behind it. You could add excitement to your journey, possibly dangerous, as you furtled under the dash trying to find something you thought you might have left there but couldn’t quite see. Storage apart, the C30’s cabin was a very rational, finely finished space that was just a little dull unless you ordered the optional orange upholstery, this hue also available for the exterior. Real fire was added when the C30 was offered as a T5 2.5 turbo, initially with 217bhp and a year later with 227bhp. This five-cylinder engine would also power the Focus ST , a car that perfectly demonstrated the intangible ingredients that made the Ford fun and the Volvo merely fast. Volvo’s retune of the Focus chassis upset the fine ride and handling balance Ford had carefully achieved, the C30’s suspension losing as much in finesse as it gained in unyielding stiffness. Perhaps that extra stiffness was needed to avoid moose on remote Nordic tracks, but, whatever the reason, it spoiled not only the car’s ride but also its scope for serving enjoyable agility. It was a baffling lost opportunity, this same backwards step undermining the more commercially important S and V30 that were the C30’s blood brothers. Limited editions and a facelift followed, a Polestar special offering 250bhp to 250 US customers. More appropriately given the C30’s mild nature, there was a DRIVe economy version, and a prototype electric model too, some 50 of these field-tested in Sweden. But the most agreeable version of this unexcitingly agreeable car was that 1.6 diesel, whose extra torque and more supple ride unexpectedly provided the C30 with the polish it deserved.

Chery targets Volkswagen in UK with four Tiggo SUVs from £20k

Chery targets Volkswagen in UK with four Tiggo SUVs from £20k

Tiggo 4 crossover will open Chery's UK range at around £20,000 First Chery SUVs are UK's cheapest PHEV and seven-seater; £20k T-Cross rival and £40k-plus PHEV flagship are next Chinese car maker Chery is targeting Volkswagen with the launch of its latest brand in the UK. Looking to build on the success of its Omoda and Jaecoo sub-brands that have sold almost 20,000 cars between them in the UK this year with a rapidly increasing market share, Chery itself will now hit the market with its own-badged cars - positioned squarely to take on VW. Launched to the UK at an event at the O2 in London, the Chery brand, which is said to be derived from the word ‘cheery’, will start with two models: the Tiggo 7 and Tiggo 8. The first cars from the initial 25 dealers will be with customers by the end of September. The Chery Tiggo 7 is a petrol and plug-in hybrid mainstream family SUV that lines up against the likes of the Volkswagen Tiguan . Its main selling point is that it is the UK’s cheapest plug-in hybrid at £29,995, while the petrol version comes in £5000 cheaper at £24,995. The Tiggo 8 is a larger seven-seat SUV that will be billed as the UK’s cheapest full-sized seven seater, starting from just over £28,500. A plug-in hybrid version will add £5000. The Tiggo name is applied to SUVs in the Chery range but the brand is planning a full range of models across different body styles, ranging from around £20,000 to just under £50,000, according to Chery country manager Farrell Hsu. Its range will start with C-segment Volkswagen Golf -sized models as it doesn’t see a market for smaller models in the UK at present, said product boss Oliver Lowe. Lowe did confirm that Chery, which started out as an engine maker in China in 1997 before making its first cars two years later, would offer a full range of powertrains, including electric cars , in addition to its initial petrol and plug-in hybrid offerings. The next two models to launch in the UK will be the entry-level and 1.6-litre petrol-only Tiggo 4 crossover (above), likely priced from around £20,000, and a range-topping Tiggo 9 (below) that will be a flagship for the brand and come in at over £40,000 with a plug-in hybrid drivetrain. Both these models were on display at the O2 event alongside the Tiggo 7 and Tiggo 8 models. Chery UK CEO Gary Lan said the Chery brand saw a big opportunity for a value player in the UK. “If you look at the percentage of cars available below £40,000 in the UK, that has shrunk dramatically in the past few years. But the desire for those cars hasn’t.” Lan added that the UK launch had been the result of 20 years of preparation in ensuring the company could build cars to the “higher standards of regulation, quality, durability, reliability” and have strong residual values. Repeating a pledge made earlier this year, Lan said Chery group was open to domestic production in the UK longer term but it would be a “long journey” that would first require the brand to make more vehicles to a UK specification and then build up a UK engineering and homologation base before any production facility followed. No date was put on when such a manufacturing base might appear, Lan confirmed, but Hsu confirmed that planning for the R&D centre in the UK was already in the works. Hsu said a further focus on the UK from Chery was because it was an “open market” and “UK customers have a very high acceptance to new brands”. Lan added that it was “a dream” to get recognition from UK customers and media for any brand. Rather than utilise the existing dealer network quickly established with Omoda and Jaecoo, which currently stands at around 80 sites, Chery sites will be standalone and will be kept separate from Omoda/Jaecoo and initially with different regional coverage to ensure the brands don’t compete while being established. Among the retail partners for Chery are Sytner Group, the first time Sytner has worked with a Chinese brand. “The news is getting out about how profitable our [Omoda and Jaecoo] dealers are, and that’s not something dealers have been doing recently," said Lowe. "That’s created a real buzz around the brands and brought many new inquiries from groups that want to sell our cars.” The plan is for Chery to get to 120 dealers in the UK by the end of 2026. Lowe said that profitability was based around the fact that its non-electric cars did not need any discounts or deposit contributions and profitability was already baked in. “That’s something we committed to CAP early on,” Lowe said, in order to help residual values. The lack of retail demand for EVs made them a separate case, Lowe added. “Our prices won’t fluctuate so that residual value will stay solid. And in our competitor set, while others are always increasing prices, we hope to be more competitive over time [by staying the same].”