These photos show for the first time a prototype during cold-weather testing on a frozen lake in Scandinavia . The car is still heavily disguised, yet the new styling is clearly visible. The next S80 is again a four-door sedan but with a much rounder and more V-shaped body than its predecessor. It is again front-wheel drive and is expected to get power from a variety of four- and six-cylinder engines, as before. According to rumors eminating from Sweden, it could also be available with Volvo's new eight-cylinder engine for the American and European markets.

Its Official !

Ford Motor Co.'s Volvo Car Corp. said Monday(10/01/05) it plans to add a new small car to its global lineup next year.

In late 2006, we will introduce the smallest car in our product
portfolio, Volvo president and chief executive Hans-Olov Olsson told
reporters at the North American International Auto Show.

The new car, called C30, will be 8 inches shorter than Volvo's mid-size
S40 sedan, Olsson said. The company did not reveal the price tag of the
new car.

The sedan will have many of the features seen in Volvo's concept cars --
Safety Concept Car and 3CC. The Volvo 3CC, which debuted Monday at the show, is a compact car that has space for three adults or two adults and
two children.

The Swedish luxury vehicle maker is the most successful company among
Ford's stable of foreign brands, dubbed Premier Automotive Group.

Mercedes R55 AMG

Mercedes is already testing the ulta high-performance AMG version of its R-Class (pictured below),the production version of which was unveiled at the New York motor show just last month. Based on the underpinnings of the latest generation M-class sport utility vehicle, the regular R-Class comes with permanent four wheel drive and, as standard, a seven-speed automatic gearbox with column-mounted shift - features that this hot AMG version is likely to retain.

The R55 AMG has the familiar 476bhp, 5.5-litre supercharged V8 as used in several other Mercedes AMG models. Second would be a new 6.3-litre V8, reportedly under development for use in the next-generation S-Class, developing closer to 600bhp and dubbed R63 AMG.

The R-Class is set for launch in autumn 2005, with right-hand-drive models following early 2006. Expect R55 AMG versions in both left- and right-hand-drive to become available during spring 2006, and the 6.3-litre versions sometime after October 2006