There's been much ado about the demise of the Volvo S60. Magazines and websites alike have passed rumors along of the car's departure after its current run. Hold the phones though, beccause we've heard differently. Seems it's not the future of the S60 that's in danger, rather the S40, though nothing is set in stone. Want more detail? Read on...
I, for one, am glad to hear it. I know they're small inside (especially the backseat), but I've always liked the proportions and styling of the S60. I also think they drive nicer than people give them credit for, especially the turbo models.
Its not just size, the pricing on the S40/V50 never made sense, esp if you lease. My dad was looking at a V50 T5...ended up with a V70 AWD for about the same payment.
It would seem logical to have a S30 3/5 door option (change name from C30), S60 4 door/wagon option, and S90 sedan (next generation of the S80, but larger and more luxurious).
The new S80 isn't large enough to take on the 7-series and S-class.
I have no contention with that - why did Volvo not make it larger to give the S60 a little breathing room? It just seems to me that this kind of market overlap between vehicles of the same brand should easily be avoidable.
Why did they not move the new S80 more upmarket? Seems to me that would have given the S60 considerable breathing room in the market....
My guess would be that Volvo currently does not have a platform in its inventory to support a full size luxo cruiser. If they really do intend to cut their lineup to two mainstream sedans I think they would be best served slotting the S60 in between the A4/A6 or 3/5 (not unlike the CTS) and slotting the S80 in between the A6/A8 or 5/7. Given the S80 is essentially a brand new vehicle that probably won't be a viable option for a while.
Given the weakness of the dollar it is going to be tough for Volvo to pull off the more for less proposition that Infiniti is so successful at. I don't know what they are going to do long term to cement themselves in the luxury marketplace, but I'd like to see it happen. The S80 is a beautifully styled car which deserves more press than it's gotten to this point.
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The S60 is Volvo's bread and butter sedan like the 850/S70 was in the 90's. The can't do away with it. I found it interesting when I had my S60 that the new S40 coming out had another inch of rear leg room. The current starting price for an S60 is $30,000. Fair price IMO. I got a great deal when I got mine, $28,500 for an S60 Sport with an MSRP of $34,000. Very closely priced to the S40 indeed.
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