Volvo S60 Concept Car Unveiled

Volvo has unveils the Volvo S60 Concept Car that will be premiered at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in January. Powered by a four-cylinder 1.6-litre petrol engine that features GTDi (Gasoline Turbocharged Direct Injection) technology, Volvo S60 Concept may develops 180 hp and emits 119 g/km of CO2, with a fuel economy of 5.0 l/100 km.

Volvo S60 Concept which will hit the market in 2010, features Collision Warning with Full Auto Brake and pedestrian detection.

Alongside with the premiere of Volvo S60 Concept Car at the NAIAS next year, the company also introduces the latest generation of preventive safety technology.

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Volvo XC60 Price for UK Market

Volvo XC60 price for the UK market has been announced by Volvo. For the 2.4D AWD (163 PS) version, the Volvo XC60 price will start at 24,750 pounds. While for the T6 AWD (285 PS) Geartronic model, the price for Volvo XC60 will goes up to 34,495 pounds. And for the middle of the range SE trim, the Volvo XC60 price will start at 26,250 pounds.

Available in three trim levels - S, SE and SE Lux, the new Volvo XC60 will come with a choice between three engines: the turbocharged T6 producing 285PS, and two variants of the D5 turbodiesel generating 185 and 163 horsepower, respectively.

Additionally, the new crossover will go on tour across the UK this summer.

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Volvo Ocean Race

Volvo announced that the 2008 Volvo Ocean Race will have its seconds stopover in Kochi, in the Indian state of Kerala in December this year. The Kochi of the 2008 Volvo Ocean Race will come after a run from Cape Town, South Africa.

Press Release
Kochi in India to host Volvo Ocean Race for first time

Kochi, in the Indian state of Kerala, is confirmed as the host of the second stopover of the Volvo Ocean Race in December 2008. The Indian stopover will come at the end of the second leg of the race from Cape Town, South Africa. Kochi will be the first of three new ports in Asia.

At the Abad Plaza in Kochi today, the stopover port agreement was signed by Andy Hindley, Race Director for the Volvo Ocean Race; Mr. N. Ramachandran, Chairman, Kochi Port Trust and Mr. KG Mohanlal, Managing Director, Kerala Tourism Development Corporation.

Also present at the press conference were Mr. Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, the Hon. Minister for Home, Vigilance and Tourism and Dr. Venu, Secretary of Kerala Tourism.

The Kochi Port Trust, which will be responsible for organising the stopover, with the full backing of the Kerala Tourism Department, welcomed the signing of the port agreement today and is confident that the stopover will give Kochi great exposure.

“India has never hosted such a prestigious sailing event and we are very excited that Kochi has been chosen,” said Mr. Ramachandran.

The booming shipping port on the Malabar Coast is now one of India’s foremost tourist destinations and the race stopover is sure to bring thousands of additional visitors to both Kochi and the State of Kerala. The Kerala State Tourism Department envisages the event will bring significant visibility as well as economic benefit to the region.

“Kerala Tourism sees this as an opportunity to project Kochi as an exciting destination, and we will be happy to extend all support to the Kochi Port Trust to bring the event to the State,” Dr Venu commented.

The Yachting Association of India (YAI), an active advocate of the race coming to India, sees the hosting of a stopover as an important boost to India’s ongoing campaign to establish itself as a venue for hosting major sporting events following its successful bid to stage the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi in 2010.

“Hosting one of the world’s top three sailing events will obviously boost any future bid to host major sailing as well as other sports events in India,” said Commander Ajay Narang, Honorary Joint Secretary-General, YAI. “It will also be a tremendous fillip for local sailing,” he added.

It is the first time that India is hosting such a prestigious sailing event and Kochi will be the
only port of call in India. The seven yachts participating in the race will arrive in Kochi in December 2008 and will stay for 10 days, before starting leg three to Sentosa Island in Singapore. A race village covering 2.5 acres of land will be set up near the BTP berth at Willingdon Island.

Glenn Bourke, CEO of the Volvo Ocean Race commented: “It has always been part of our vision to take the race to different and wider audiences and we are delighted that Kochi has become part of that vision. India not only presents huge opportunities for the development of the event, but this coupled with the daunting challenges the competitors will face when racing their grand prix yachts in unfamiliar waters, will make the visit to India even more exciting for everyone involved. India has hundreds of millions of enthusiastic sports fans and we know they will enjoy this challenging race, with its passion, teamwork, adventure and excitement.”

The 2008-09 event will be the 10th running of this ocean marathon. Starting from Alicante in Spain on 4 October 2008, it will for the first time, take in ports in Asia. Spanning some 39,000 nautical miles, stopping at around 11 ports and taking nine months to complete, the Volvo Ocean Race is the world’s premier yacht race for professional racing crews.