ABOUT THE VOLVO S80

The Volvo S80 is a high-end executive car produced by the Swedish automaker Volvo

The Volvo S80 was a replacement for the rear-wheel drive Volvo 960/S90 sedan. Every single Volvo S80 has been built at the Torslanda Plant (Torslandaverken) in Gothenburg, Sweden. Unlike almost all other Volvo models, it did not have a station wagon version for its first generation.

Now, the third generation V70 wagon is marketed as the estate version for the second generation S80 sedan. All of this is a part of a major product overhaul at Volvo, including a most luxurious large estate and sedan. Upon its debut it was notable for being one of the first Volvos to depart from the company's traditionally boxy, conservative styling. The S80's styling, with its pronounced beltlines and tail lights that narrow and go from curves to points as they go up, has been adopted throughout the Volvo line, especially on the S60 and S40 sedans.

The first generation Volvo S80 had one of the world's highest crash test ratings in the world for over 5 years.[citation needed]
The second generation Volvo S80 in June 2007 scored the highest "good" rating in the IIHS crash test performance for frontal, side, and rear impacts,
continuing in the success of the first S80 sedan. The second generation S80 has been proven to been better engineered than the out going model contrary to popular belief, and this is in part due to a stiffer more rigid chassis. January 31, 2006, Volvo unveiled the first pictures of the second generation S80. Generally all features of the car were upgraded substantially.

The new S80 will feature a new 3.2 L straight-6 or 4.4 L V8 engine in combination with available four-wheel drive. The second-generation S80 is the first Volvo sedan model to become available with Volvo's compact, transversely fitted V8 with a power output of 316 PS (232 kw) and 440 m of torque developed jointly by Volvo Cars engine unit Skande and Yamaha but built by Yamaha of Japan. With four catalytic converters and advanced electronics, this engine, which was first introduced in the Volvo XC90, is one of the cleanest V8s on the market. The exterior is similar to that of the first generation but is greatly improved with more high strength boron steel in the body for safety. The interior is seen as one of the most comfortable in the automotive industry.

This second generation S80 is no exception to Volvo's on going improvements and inventions of safety. The second generation S80 has been given the IIHS 2007 Top Safety Pick Award in overall safety protection. Also again in November the IIHS awarded the 2008 Volvo S80 with Top Safety Award. This S80 performed outstanding above its German and Japanese rivals. Scores were perfect for frontal, side, and rear impacts.

The car was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show on February 28, and sales began on June 2006. The new S80 is based on the Ford EUCD platform (called P24 by Volvo), also used for vehicles including Ford's S-MAX, Mondeo and Galaxy large MPVs. Some of these other Ford vehicles ride on this platform, and although some parts are shared the vehicles are majority different from each other as they compete in different auto segments. Volvo vehicles on this platform tend to use more high tech parts and more expensive underpinnings.

Thanks to Wikipedia for contributing to this FAQ!