Latest news with #Volvo
West Australian
8 hours ago
- Automotive
- West Australian
Refreshed Volvo XC60 get tech upgrade
Just when you thought the Volvo XC60 SUV couldn't get any better, the face-lifted 2026 model range has been revealed and priced for Australia with refreshed looks, new cabin materials and the brand's latest infotainment system. Inside, that means, a bigger 11.2-inch, free-standing central touchscreen with the latest software and, according to Volvo, 21 per cent increased pixel density for a crisper display. Additionally, Volvo says the new infotainment system with Google built-in is more than twice as fast as the outgoing unit, with 10 times faster graphics generation thanks to next-generation Snapdragon Cockpit Platform processing from Qualcomm Technologies. Best of all, every new Volvo coming out of the Chinese-owned Swedish brand's factories will have this new UX — while older models will get it on cars built as early as 2020 via an over-the-air-update later this year. This includes the C40, XC40, EX40, EC40, S60, V60, V60 Cross Country, XC60, S90, V90, V90 Cross Country and XC90 with Android operating system. Interior upgrades include Quilted Nordico upholstery, refreshed interior decors and inlays, 'smart' storage, new cup holders, an improved wireless phone charger and a more versatile and roomy load compartment. Volvo claims the XC60 is even more comfortable and quiet than before — and comes with optional air suspension. Exterior updates include a new grille, like the one on the recent XC90, new wheel options, darker rear lights and three new exterior paint finishes: Forest Lake, Aurora Silver and Mulberry Red. There are four variants — all all-wheel drive — in the range: XC60 Plus B5 Bright, XC60 Ultra B5 Dark, XC60 Plus T8 Plug-in Hybrid Dark and XC60 Ultra T8 Plug-in Hybrid Dark. The Plus B5 Bright and the Ultra B5 Dark have a 183kW/350Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine with mild-hybrid tech, while both T8 Plug-in Hybrid variants get a 233 kW/400Nm four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine with 48-volt e-boost tech and 107kW/309Nm electric motor sending power to rear wheels. Standard features include power adjustable front seats with memory, integrated child booster cushions in the rear seat, a crystal gear lever selector, head-up display, 360-degree camera, blind-spot information system and, of course, Volvo's signature LED Thor's Hammer headlights. + XC60 Plus B5 Bright: $74,990 + XC60 Ultra B5 Dark: $81,990 + XC60 Plus T8 Plug-in Hybrid Dark: $92,990 + Volvo XC60 Ultra T8 Plug-in Hybrid Dark: $101,990 With more than 2.7 million cars sold, the Volvo XC60 has surpassed the iconic Volvo 240 as the bestselling Volvo model ever. The Volvo 240 was produced between 1974 and 1993 with 2,685,171 cars built during that time. It was among the first cars to incorporate enhanced side-impact protection, which later evolved into Volvo's patented Side-Impact Protection System. Additionally, the introduction of the child booster cushion in 1978 marked a world-first innovation.
USA Today
11 hours ago
- Automotive
- USA Today
Apple CarPlay Ultra faces automaker backlash over data and dashboard control
Apple CarPlay phone integration has become indispensable for millions of drivers, and the tech giant is hoping that CarPlay Ultra, which expands CarPlay's territory from the touchscreen to the car's instrument cluster and allows control over core functions like air conditioning, will become its next big thing. Initially it was looking that way, with Apple touting a list of over a dozen automakers that had signed up to include the Ultra software on their cars. Now that the system is finally rolling out to customers, there are reports that automakers are balking at CarPlay Ultra and opting to stick with the standard version instead. We suspected this would be a problem, and a report by Financial Times confirms it: automakers don't want to give up the creative control to design and implement infotainment features on their own, nor are eager to give a third-party — Apple — valuable data on both its customers driving habits and its vehicle systems integrations. One unnamed executive at Renault (one of the automakers touted by Apple as featuring CarPlay Ultra) is said by FT to have told Apple, 'Don't try to invade our own systems.' In case you missed it: The coolest, most useful Apple CarPlay Ultra features Of the 18 automakers that had previously been linked to Apple CarPlay, FT reports that Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Polestar and Renault are opting out of including the system on their future cars. Volvo confirmed to us FT's reporting, while Polestar said the brand had 'nothing to announce' with regards to its use of CarPlay Ultra. An Audi spokesperson went further, telling us, 'While we continue to offer traditional CarPlay on our vehicles, we have chosen not to integrate Apple CarPlay Ultra into our current portfolio of cars as we have just introduced our all-new MMI interface in our latest models: the Q6 e-tron, A5, Q5 and A6 e-tron model lines.' Both Volvo and Polestar have also heavily invested in their own infotainment systems. Apple CarPlay iOS 26 update: New widgets, live actions and 'Liquid Glass' design The other automakers who had been linked to CarPlay Ultra are Acura, Aston Martin, Ford, Genesis, Honda, Hyundai, Infiniti, Kia, Land Rover, Lincoln, Nissan and Porsche. We reached out to each of them for comment on their CarPlay Ultra and general infotainment plans. Ford, Lincoln, Acura, Jaguar and Land Rover spokespeople told us that their respective brands did not have any comment on the matter. The Hyundai Motor Group, which includes Hyundai, Kia and Genesis told us that all three brands still intend to introduce Apple CarPlay Ultra in the future. Honda, Infiniti, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Porsche did not have any official comment as of press time. Porsche has told FT it still planned on supporting CarPlay Ultra in the future. Apple seems confident in CarPlay Ultra. A source familiar with the Cupertino company's thinking told us, "Automakers ultimately tend to do things that their customers love, and customers are going to love CarPlay Ultra." The tech giant is working closely with automakers to allay their concerns while also tailoring the system to feel bespoke to each manufacturer. The same source also told us that all "driving data is all handled by the car, and isn't shared with your iPhone." Questions about what data is collected and who can view it were unanswered. Tesla and Rivian currently don't offer CarPlay in any form on their vehicles, while GM is phasing it out in favor of a new operating system it built with Google. Aston Martin is the only automaker to offer CarPlay Ultra right now. In our review of the new system, we found the Apple gauges, climate and radio controls, and iPhone-like widgets to be among the system's best features. You can read our full review here.
Deccan Herald
19 hours ago
- General
- Deccan Herald
First Ashada Friday: Over one lakh devotees visit Chamundi Hill
Mysuru: Neither the long wait, up to six hours, nor the rush inside the temple deterred the spirits of over a lakh devotees, who thronged Chamundi Hill in Mysuru to have darshan of Goddess Sri Chamundeshwari Devi. The deity wore a red saree in Lakshmi Alankaara on the occasion of first Friday of Ashada month of the Hindu temple was decorated for the celebrations with colourful chrysanthymum flowers."Special puja, including Mahaanyasaka Poorvaka Rudrabhisheka, and Panchamrutha Abhisheka, were offered to the Goddess from as early as 3.30 am to 5.30 am. The devotees were allowed to have darshana from 5.30 am to 10 pm," temple chief priest N Shashishekara Dixith of a national movement to restore peace, harmony being sown in every year, while the entry of private vehicles to the hill was banned, a large number of vehicles were seen parked on the ground near the Lalitha Mahal Palace. The tickets for darshana were sold at the parking area itself and the devotees were segregated and streamlined in separate free buses of the KSRTC. Hence, the chaos at the hill was slightly minimised.. According to KSRTC urban DC H T Veeresh, 45 buses were arranged from the city bus stand. "They made 160 trips up to 5 pm. 45 free buses were arranged, including for men, from the ground near Lalitha Mahal Palace. They also made 160 trips. Those who bought Rs 2,000 tickets were taken in eight Volvo buses, which made 58 trips. For those who bought Rs 300 tickets, 25 buses made 91 trips."For those in the general darshana queue, it took at least six hours, while for those with Rs 300 ticket, it took about three hours. There was chaos at the edge as the queues merged with those who came in the general queue near the temple. For those with Rs 2,000 ticket, it took about half an hour to have darshan. Shashikala from Yaraganahalli said, "Although I rushed near the steps at 2 am, we were allowed to climb only from 3 am. I managed to have darshan only by 11.45 am."Shobha from Alanahalli said, "We stood in a general queue from 6 am and had darshan only by 1.30 pm."The District Administration, led by DC G Lakshmikanth Reddy, and Sri Chamundeshwari Kshetra Development Authority Secretary M J Roopa had made elaborate arrangements for the darshana, with barricaded queues. More than 1,000 police personnel, led by Commissioner Seema Latkar, DCPs M Mutthuraj and K S Sunderraj, two SPs, more than 300 home guards, more than 300 volunteers, including Scouts, Guides, NSS, and NCC cadets managed the devotees. The Health department had arranged ambulances. Drinking water and toilet facilities were also available. Roopa said, "By 5 pm, more than 80,000 kumkum packets, 1,200 litre of badam milk, 50,000 packs of dry fruits and madilakki were distributed. For those with Rs 2,000 ticket, a statue, one laddu prasada, 500 ml glass water bottle and a bag was provided. While prasada was arranged for the first time by the temple authority, more than 50,000 devotees were served with peas pulav and curd rice."Admitting that chaos prevailed for the darshana, Roopa said, "We will streamline the queues by next Friday."According to temple chief priest, it is auspicious to worship 'Shakthi Devatha' in Aashada maasa. "It is believed that by worshipping Sri Chamundeshwari Devi during Aashada month, one would reap the blessings equivalent to worshipping the Goddess for the entire year," he like MLAs G T Devegowda, P M Narendraswamy, H D Revanna and his son and MLC Suraj Revanna visited the temple.
Auto Car
a day ago
- Automotive
- Auto Car
As cars' driver assistance systems get smarter, so must the ways they are developed
It's one thing to load cars with safety systems such as ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems), but as they get more sophisticated, it becomes more complicated to ensure they always do what's expected. So manufacturers are turning to the most advanced techniques to validate ADAS and make it as accurate as possible. Volvo is using virtual environments together with real-world testing for safety systems development, software training and validation. Engineers can now scrutinise incident data collected from the advanced sensors of production cars more clearly using an imaging technique called 'Gaussian splatting'. The new approach makes it possible to generate a large number of highly realistic 3D scenes from images taken in the real world. These can then be viewed from different angles and the scene, quite literally, explored. Once it's created, engineers can manipulate the virtual environment by modifying elements such as road users or obstacles and change the outcome of a scenario. The approach makes it possible to subject safety software to a wide variety of traffic situations much faster and on a greater scale than before. It's proving particularly useful for exposing safety systems to rare and sometimes dangerous 'edge cases' in days rather than months. The virtual environments are developed through an in-house collaboration with Zenseact, an AI and software company founded by Volvo Cars. Porsche has also developed a new technique to improve its ADAS software. Manual validation – involving a development engineer sitting in the passenger seat comparing what ADAS thinks a traffic sign reads with what it actually says – is becoming too labour-intensive. If ADAS gets it wrong, the discrepancy is recorded on a data logger (a kind of hard drive) manually by the human co-driver, along with the actual vehicle speed data. A vast amount of data is needed to weed out those rare instances that may trip ADAS up, but automated measuring equipment is expensive and using it across large-scale test fleets is unrealistic. Porsche's answer is the ComBox app, developed in-house, combined with an image-recognition app from start-up firm both of which run on a smartphone. If there's a discrepancy between a road sign recognised by the app and what the vehicle's ADAS 'thinks', the app photographs the sign and both the vehicle data and the picture are stored on the data logger.
The Citizen
a day ago
- Automotive
- The Citizen
XC60 takes the lead in Volvo's sales history
The Volvo XC60 has officially taken the crown as the best-selling model in the company's history, passing the long-reigning Volvo 240 with more than 2.7 million units sold since 2008. Looking for a new or used Volvo? Find it here with CARmag! That milestone marks a major shift in how customers define a family car. Where the boxy 240 estates once ruled the suburbs, the XC60, a mid-size SUV introduced at a time when Volvo was leaning into premium territory, now carries the torch. Since its launch, the XC60 has appealed to a wide range of drivers, thanks to its safety credentials and a design that strikes a balance between practicality and Scandinavian restraint. Originally produced in Europe, the SUV later became the first Volvo model also built in China, a move that supported its international success. The current-generation XC60 added plug-in hybrid options to the range, which helped it become the best-selling PHEV in Europe last year. Now, with the 2026 model year update, Volvo has introduced a series of changes aimed at keeping it competitive. These include a cleaner exterior design, a more comfortable cabin, and a faster, more responsive infotainment system. Related: Volvo's S40 Turns 30 Years Old in 2025 Reflecting on the milestone, Susanne Hägglund, the head of Global Offer at Volvo Cars, said: 'Growing up in Sweden in the 1980s, the Volvo 240 was the iconic family car, you could spot one in almost every driveway. Today the XC60 has taken over that position, becoming our all-time top-seller, which in itself is the ultimate proof point of a successful car.' The popularity of the XC60 also reflects how much the family car has evolved. Buyers who grew up in the back seats of Volvo 240s are now choosing the XC60 for their kids, favouring SUVs over estates. While the 240 was known for introducing crash safety innovations in the 1970s, like reinforced passenger compartments and side-impact protection, the XC60 has built on that legacy with systems like City Safety (automatic braking at speeds up to 30km/h) and Oncoming Lane Mitigation, which can steer the car away from a head-on collision. Volvo hasn't reinvented the XC60 with this update, but that's likely the point. After all, you don't mess with a formula that's already made history. Click here and browse thousands of new and used vehicles here with CARmag! The post XC60 Takes the Lead in Volvo's Sales History appeared first on CAR Magazine.
