Volvo WILL build a luxury car to take on the Mercedes S-Class

Volvo WILL build a luxury car to take on the Mercedes S-Class (Concept You pictured) Volvo has done a lot right – and not much wrong – since Geely took over the reigns from Ford. With new cars like the V40, a new range of 4-cylinder engines and a new design direction – previewed by the stunning Volvo Concept Coupe – the Swedes look to be on a roll. But their strategy of pointing their cars at premium car lovers in the mainstream segment seemed to have taken a left turn with a revelation by Geely and Volvo Chairman, Li Shufu, who has declared Volvo are to build a luxury car to take on the might of the Mercedes S-Class, Audi A8, BMW 7-Series and Jaguar XJ.

Volume sales of plug-in Toyota Prius to begin in two years

Toyota will start leasing 150 of its Prius plug-in hybrids in the United States this winter and plans retail sales of tens of thousands in two years. The North American arrival, scheduled for around February, is part of a global rollout of 600 units. With a longer electric-only cruise range than the standard Prius, the plug-in is Toyota's answer to the Chevrolet Volt extended-range hybrid being launched next year by General Motors Co.

Audi hosts student workshop in Design UNIverse

Audi has hosted a Design UNIverse event in Ingolstadt as part of its plan to support the next generation of automotive designers. 42 student designers from four European universities were challenged to create models of a futuristic Audi that embodies the idea of "Vorsprung Durch Technik" while working closely with designers and discussing trends and how to create emotional products. The students – from the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava (Slovakia), Scuola Politecnica di Design in Milan (Italy), the Offenbach University of Art and Design (Germany) and the Royal College of Art London (Great Britain) – created 46 different models.