Event Coverage: Volvo at the 2011 Geneva Auto Show

Mar 2, 2011 - 12:27:55 PM

After a silent Chicago show, Volvo has come soaring back at Europe's main event in Switzerland. Along with the V60 Plug-In Hybrid and a set of Ocean Race Edition cars, Heico Sportiv joined the fun with tuned cars and Polestar brought along its stunning blue C30.

New Volvo boss Stefan Jacoby kicked off the fun with a press conference spotlighting the V60 Plug-In Hybrid. "This second-generation hybrid is the perfect choice for the uncompromising buyer who wants a superbly carbon dioxide-lean car packed with driving pleasure," said Jacoby. "The V60 Plug-in Hybrid has all the traditional properties of a genuine sports wagon. What we've done is to spice it up with spearhead technology that allows the driver to choose: zero emissions, high-efficiency hybrid or full-on performance. Just select the mode that suits you best."

Just as important to us, the V60 PHEV looks great. The show car paint was gorgeous and the new wheels look modern, even futuristic. But our favorite part has to be the new gauge cluster, which uses high-resolution display screens to swap information readouts based on what's relevant when the car switches between its gas, electric, and hybrid modes.

Elsewhere on the show stand, Volvo rolled out Volvo Ocean Race Editions of the V60, V70, XC60, and XC70. Each is offered in silver or blue, with special wheels and special interior touches with black or beige leather. The fact that only three of those four cars are sold in the US limits the possibility of the special editions being offered here, but it doesn't matter. Our contacts of Volvo of North America tell us a batch of any of those cars getting on a boat is "not likely."



While we were chatting, we got word of a rumor that VCNA would like to answer customer complaints that R-Design cars get no power upgrades by working with Polestar in Sweden on some option boosts. We're told the first test of this factory-backed tuning could give the S60 R-Design a boost of 30 horses.

Volvo has its usual show stand at Geneva, but then the company also has an off-site location showing off additional products and highlighting some of the big players in the aftermarket. This year was no exception. At the secondary location, Volvo brought in a great Heico Sportiv V60 with special wheels, suspension, body kit, exhaust, and even a custom interior. That included a gorgeous leather-lined dashboard and door panels to match. It made us think Volvo could offer a special premium package with a full leather interior and we wouldn't go out and complain about it. The car looked great.

These days though, no Volvo looks anywhere near as cool as the Polestar Performance C30 that debuted late last spring. Since that point, the electric blue monster has made its rounds to a few European media outlets and even starred on an episode of Top Gear before arriving in Geneva. It still looks as great as the day it debuted and drew a lot of attention from the crowds around us. It's a shame it will remain a concept because a 400-hp, all-wheel drive C30 using race-proven aerodynamics is exactly what we dream about at night. To see more of the Ocean Race cars, hit the links below. A show gallery is at the bottom of the page--just click on any picture in that row you see down there.

V60 Ocean Race
V70 Ocean Race
XC60 Ocean Race
XC70 Ocean Race