Volvo InterSection: A Futuristic Car That Connects You With New People

Call it the matchmaker and you won't be wrong, especially in a time when people are engrossed on their phones and tabs.

Imagine a scenario when you are home alone, bored and all your friends are either busy or out of state. To some, this can be very depressing especially to the hyperactive type. While we are all in this, someone somewhere is thinking of making life easy, meanwhile and stress-free with the help of Volvo Intersection.

Volvo InterSection is a futuristic, autonomous vehicle concept for the relationship between people in the future of New York. The concept was conducted based on the emotion of joy. As technology develops, the connectivity of people’s relationships to electronic devices and the Internet has increased, but the emotions and pleasures that can be gained through actual meeting are gradually disappearing.

Designed by Hanum Jeong and JungHyun Kim, Volvo InterSection concept car has integrated multiple features where almost anything can happen in autonomous vehicles. At first, it works just like tinder application, it connects people randomly in a certain area. But the Big Data and the interests and personality that you fill out in the app will make you connected to the person who would create great friendship/relationship with you. You and your companion will meet in Volvo InterSection with a modified interior that suits for hangout, whether it’s for watching a movie, playing games, or just hang out. Volvo InterSection will be able to give you the joy that comes from these meeting and activities.

Volvo 360c Autonomous Concept Car Is A Combo of Home, Office and Studio

Volvo 360c Autonomous Concept Car offers a glimpse of a future autonomous vehicle should look like. It’s like a mobile living or working space that allows you to commute each workday, fully connected. What if there was service provided to you via an on-demand subscription basis? Or maybe it’s the type of service provided by your employer. There are many scenarios and questions raised by Volvo as the company reveals its vision for future travel. This concept car is all-electric, fully autonomous, safe, and connected.

Volvo 360c aims to transform the way we travel, no more unproductive or boring travel time into more enjoyable and useful minutes on the road. It’s not just a car, it’s a transportation that reflects the potential in the fundamental structure of how we will live and work in the future. No more human driver, enjoy new freedoms in design and time. Since it’s a fully autonomous vehicle with all-electric technology, this concept offers a range of advanced safety and of course, environmental benefits such as less pollution, less traffic congestion. It can also be new lifestyle for those living in cities, they can have a home away from crowded cities yet driving to the office can be more pleasant and effective.

Volvo 360c autonomous car offers four potential of uses as an autonomous driving vehicle: a sleeping environment, mobile office, a living room, and an entertainment space. It’s an attractive travel option that can rival public transportations.

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Volvo’s testing a self driving refuse collection truck, LAWMA's favourite

Volvo is ramping up its self-driving vehicle efforts by testing an autonomous garbage truck designed for use in cities.

The Swedish car maker has partnered with local waste and garbage specialists Renova for a project that’s setting out to explore “how automation can contribute to enhanced traffic safety, improved working conditions, and lower environmental impact,” according to a statement issued by Volvo.

As with countless other automotive companies, Volvo has previously announced a number of initiatives in the self-driving car realm, including a $300 million joint venture with Uber to develop autonomous cars. The company is also investing in driver-assistance systems in its current models.

According to Volvo, onboard sensors monitor the vehicle’s surroundings and stop the truck if an obstacle appears — which is the least you’d hope for with any self-driving vehicle. The very nature of a garbage collection service means that it typically follows the same route on its weekly schedule, which suits autonomous driving — in Volvo’s tests, the route is pre-programmed.

There is a human “driver” inside the truck who ensures it arrives at a given destination, a specific street, for example. But the driver then exits the vehicle and walks ahead to focus on collecting the actual garbage while the truck maneuvers itself between trash bins.

“One important benefit of the new technology is a reduction in the risk of occupational injuries, such as wear in knee joints — otherwise a common ailment among staff working with refuse collection,” added Stenqvist.

The trial will continue through to the end of 2017, and it follows a similar experiment Volvo announced last year in underground mines.

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Every Volvo introduced after 2019 will be a hybrid or EV

The era of Volvos powered purely by internal combustion is nearly over. The company announced this morning that from 2019 on, every single new model introduced will be electrified in some way. This includes full EVs, plug-in hybrids, and 48-volt mild hybrid.

The latter of these uses a starter motor that can function like an alternator or generator to produce electricity for the on-board battery, and, based on Volvo's press conference, this motor will also be able to redeploy power to the powertrain, but the details for how much and how long are scarce. It does sound similar to Audi's new 48-volt system it will introduce on the A8. Naturally, this move will help Volvo reach its goal of selling 1 million electrified cars by 2025.

All three of these powertrains will be available on three new models Volvo will introduce between 2019 and 2021. Polestar will also launch two models in the same time frame, but as Volvo's CEO Håkan Samuelsson said during its press conference, these will be fully electric. Volvo already announced that its Polestar performance brand would go to fully electrified models, and that it would be developing its own unique vehicles to sell under the brand.

Among some of the other details revealed during the Volvo press conference include a rough estimate of range from the full EV line. Apparently medium- and long-range versions will be available, and the company plans for the long-range version to be capable of up to 500 kilometers, which is about 310 miles. The first of the new models to be introduced will also be based on Volvo's Compact Modular Architecture. The CMA platform will underpin a number of new products including the Volvo 40 series cars (XC40, S40, et al) and a Lynk & Co vehicle.

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Volvo Partners With Google For Android-Based In-Car Tech

Volvo is teaming up with tech giant Google in order to develop Android-based solutions for its next generation in-car infotainment systems.

This will allow Volvo users to access a wide array of connected apps and predictive services, and will be available on new Volvo models within the next two years.

"We are making an important strategic step with the Google partnership. Google's platform and services will enhance the user experience by enabling more personalization possibilities, while Android will offer increased flexibility from a development perspective."

"With the advent of Android, we will embrace a rich ecosystem while keeping our iconic Volvo user interface. We will offer hundreds of popular apps and the best-integrated experience in this broad, connected environment," said Volvo R&D boss, Henrik Green.

The Swedish automaker believes these types of "smart partnerships" are the future of the car industry, and that using Android as their base operating systems will allow for greater speed and flexibility.

"We're thrilled to partner with Volvo to bring Android into their next-generation connected cars," stated Google VP of Android Engineering, Patrick Brady. "This partnership gives us the opportunity to deliver a more seamless experience to Volvo drivers through a full-featured infotainment platform and rich ecosystem of Android applications and Google services."

Volvo is also collaborating with Google in an attempt to update recent models, by adding Google Local Search (a location-based service application). This feature will be released through an update to customers with Sensus Navigation.

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Volvo Introduces Sleek Rider Concept For Kids and Its very Affordable

Its often said that "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy". Out of Volvo's schedule, they decided to create something unique for the kids. Volvo found the time to create the new Rider Concept, a vehicle absolutely perfect to get your young child into the world of all things cars.

The car is Priced at $176 (66,880 naira) and already so popular that it made the Volvo website crash, the Rider Concept is a sleek Swedish two-door powered by the legs of the 1-3-year-old behind the wheel.

Unlike those cheap ride-on toys you can find at Toys “R” Us, the Rider Concept actually has some fairly impressive features, most notably its LED headlights and taillights which mimic those of the full-size S90.

Additionally, the Rider Concept includes a fully-functional horn and a set of disproportionately large wheels that only work on toys or something like a ridiculous-looking Hummer, sort of.

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Volvo Celebrates Its 40th Anniversary, Remembers Its 262C Bertone Coupe

Designed in Sweden and built in Italy, the Volvo 262C has just turned 40.

Introduced at the Geneva Motor Show back in 1977, four years after the 1800ES was discontinued, it owns its life to the brand's CEO at the time, Pehr G Gyllenhammer, who saw it as an important model, especially in Volvo's biggest export market, the USA.

It was penned by the company's chief designer Jan Wilsgaard, who chose to use a 164 to test new interiors, rather than building a clay model, and after the initial work was carried out, it was then taken to Italian designer Sergio Coggiola's company, in Turin, Italy. This is where the four-door was rebuilt into a two-door, with a lower roof, wrapped in vinyl, and wide C-pillars, adorned with three crowns - Sweden's heraldic national symbol.

Being that a niche product like the 262C that was to be built in small numbers, didn’t fit Volvo's plant in Gothenburg, its final assembly took place at Carozzeria Bertone, in Italy, where the 264TE limo was also assembled. Volvo shipped kits to Turin, where the bodies were modified, painted, and assembled, and as a reminder that Bertone built them, small badges were fitted on the lower edge of the windscreens.

Powering the Volvo 262C was a 2.7-liter V6 engine, with 141 horses, which was developed with Peugeot and Renault, built in Douvrin, France, and shared with other versions of the 260 series.

In the first couple of years, the car was offered solely with a silver metallic finish and a black vinyl roof, but later on, other shades became available, and in 1980, when it went on sale in the USA as the Volvo Coupe, the some colors were discontinued, including the initial one.

The Volvo 262C was eventually phased out in 1981, when it underwent its final modifications, during which a new color combo was introduced: two-tone gold and nougat, and 14 horsepower were added to the engine. By the time it left production, 6,622 cars were put together.