New 345HP Volvo V40 T5 HPC Study by Heico Sportiv Eyes Mercedes A45 AMG and Audi S3

Volvo's feisty performance partner Heico Sportiv has turned the wick on the Swedish brand's V40 with the presentation of a new concept that may soon be offered to European buyers. It is named the V40 T5 HPC, which is an abbreviation for "High Performance Concept".

Heico states that it is "world’s most powerful Volvo V40" adding that the hatchback's "350 hp, 4-wheel drive and extremely dynamic driving characteristics are the ingredients that make the sporty compact car an interesting alternative to the Audi S3 Sportback, BMW M135i xDrive and Mercedes A45 AMG."

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Volvo Says Goodbye to the C30 Hatchback, Last Example Up for Grabs in Twitter Competition

After seven years of production and almost 210,000 units sold, the Volvo C30 has reached the end of the road. Launched in 2006, the C30 hatchback sported an daring design that made it instantly recognizable in its class and beyond.

We’re talking mainly about the rear end, of course, which featured an all-glass hatch that was a tribute to its predecessor, the 480, itself a car inspired by the LCP 2000 concept which turned 30 this year.

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Volvo’s Advanced LCP 2000 Concept Turns 30 Years Old

The quest for advanced safety and efficiency-boosting methods has been a very powerfully driven one in recent years, with the noticeable shift in climate often being attributed to our reckless use of putrefied and liquefied dinosaur bones and trees.

However, while most manufacturers have jumped on the green train in recent years, many times for the sake of image than anything else, it was Volvo yet again that showed us the efficient way forward, more than 30 years ago.

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Bye, Bye Concept Universe: Volvo Says No to Flagship Luxury Car

At the 2011 Shanghai Auto Show, Volvo displayed the Concept Universe, a study that was said to preview the company’s flagship luxury sedan. At the Frankfurt show that same year, the Swedish automaker came up with another study for a large luxury car, the Concept You.

One could say these two concepts proved Volvo was serious about launching a flagship saloon model. However, at this year's Shanghai auto show, the carmaker’s CEO, Hakan Samuelsson, said Volvo will not develop a large luxury sedan to compete against the BMW 7 Series, Audi A8 or Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

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Volvo S60 Polestar Concept 508Hp Coming to the Los Angeles Auto Show

The one-off Volvo S60 Polestar Concept will continue its world tour with a global motor show premiere at next week's 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show.

This will be the first time that the street-legal sports sedan study will be displayed to the public since Volvo's performance partner Polestar presented the concept in June this year.

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Volvo Sends 508hp S60 Polestar Performance Concept to Russia

For a car that has already been sold to an unidentified American buyer for the paltry sum of $300,000 or the equivalent of a BMW M5 ($89,000) sedan, a Porsche 991 Carrera Convertible ($93,700) and a Corvette ZR1 ($112,600), the one-off Volvo S60 Polestar Performance Concept is sure racking up a lot of miles.

On the other hand, the buyer had been informed by Volvo officials that he would receive the car only after Polestar finishes promoting it to the media and the public.

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Volvo's 508hp S60 Polestar Performance Versus the BMW M3 and Audi RS4 Avant

Can a Volvo model ever beat the German automakers in their own game? Well, the answer to that question really depends on which game you are referring to since die Deutsche brands have spread their wings in just about every niche there is.

So let's be more specific: can a performance orientated Volvo family car threaten two of Germany's finest and fastest mid-size sports models, the BMW M3 and the Audi RS4?

If we're talking about the Volvo S60 Polestar Performance sedan, it certainly has the brute force to do so. The only problem is that, for now, the S60 Polestar Performance is a one-off model that has yet to receive the green light for even a limited series production run.

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Watch Volvo's BMW M3 Killer, the S60 Polestar Performance in Action

Any automaker that wants to play with the big names in the premium car league needs a performance lineup.

Just think about it; even Cadillac, which for the most part of its history was associated with luxury and cars that resembled...land yachts caved in and created the V-Series once its parent company GM got serious about competing against the Germans.

In all fairness, Volvo gave it a try much earlier with the 249hp 850 T-5R in the mid-1990s followed by the 296hp S60 R in the early 2000s before officials pulled the plug on the 'R' designation (not to be confused with the R-Line accessories and trim levels) in 2007.

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Volvo S60 Polestar Performance Sedan Sold for Close to $300,000 to an American

When Polestar lifted the curtains off its new S60 sports sedan this past weekend, Volvo's performance and motorsports partner told us that the 508-horsepower strong model is a one-off creation that has already been spoken for an unnamed client.

Now we learn via Pistonheads that drove the S60 Polestar Concept that it was sold for close to $300,000 (about €237,000 at the current exchange rates) with Car magazine adding that the owner is an American.

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New Volvo S60 Polestar Performance Concept Packs 508-Horses, Eyes BMW M3

The highly anticipated Volvo S60 Polestar performance concept made its world premiere on Saturday on the sidelines of the Gothenburg City Race in Sweden.

The first thing you will need to know about the performance version of the S60 is that it is a one off model developed by Volvo Cars Official Motorsports and its racing and tuning partner Polestar for an as of yet unnamed client.

However, there's a ray of light for those that are gawking at this concept as the two brands stated that "a small series of Polestar modified S60s may be built pending market response". So in other words, if you like it, let the company know it. You can start by our comments section...

Now, to the juicier details of the S60 Polestar starting with the powertrain. While some sources believed that it may use the XC90's Yamaha-built V8, Polestar based the car on the S60 T6.

The regular model is motivated by a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline six delivering 300hp (304PS) to all-four wheels for a zero to 100km/h (62mph) sprint time of 6.1 seconds and a top speed of 250km/h (155mph).

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Volvo S60 Polestar is a One-Off Concept for a Client, but Could Enter Regular Production

We just received some more news on the S60 Polestar, a high-performance version of Volvo's compact executive saloon that was teased through a hazy image earlier today.

As it turns out, the Volvo S60 Polestar is a street-legal, performance concept inspired by the racing model that competes in the 2012 season of the new Swedish racing series TTA – Racing Elite League.

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