Volvo is expecting its all-new S80 executive saloon to particularly appeal to company car drivers when the car goes on sale early this summer.
"Company motorists want a car in the executive sector that combines luxury, driving pleasure and refinement with the reassurance of high safety standards - which are all the credentials Volvo has focused on with the all new S80," says Ian Rendle, Volvo Car UK's corporate sales manager.
Indeed, the Volvo S80 features a host of comfort and convenience features that should appeal to company users, while this demanding set of drivers will appreciate that the S80's suspension has been tuned specifically for UK roads, including benchmarking against its key German rivals.
The all-new S80 adopts the latest Volvo family look on the outside, with a luxurious interior that features a development of the revolutionary ultra-thin centre console first seen on the S40 saloon and V50 Sportswagon.
Meanwhile inside, some of the S80's innovative and key new features have been designed with high-mileage users firmly in mind. Its features include: the Personal Car Communicator (PCC), a remote control giving increased security which can check if the alarm has been activated, whether the car's locked/unlocked or if there's somebody in the car - it also includes a 'keyless drive' function; radar activated Adaptive cruise control; Collision Warning with Brake Support, to help avoid drivers running into the car in front in stop-start traffic; and BLIS (Blind Spot Information System) and IDIS (Intelligent Driver Information System). BLIS registers if another vehicle is in the blindspot along side the car, while IDIS is an electronic information system that prevents driver distraction by delaying the display of unnecessary information in busy or stressful situations.
It is hoped that these features and innovations will go some way to attracting a host of new buyers to the Volvo brand - Volvo expects that seventy percent of S80 buyers will not currently drive a Volvo.
And if the design and features don't tempt buyers, then perhaps the driving characteristics will: the S80 features Volvo's advanced 'Four-C' active chassis concept, while the line-up of refined and powerful engines includes a new V8 (with AWD), a 3.2-litre in-line six-cylinder petrol engine, a 2.5T petrol, and both D5 and 2.4D Turbodiesels.
The result is a car that Volvo is extremely proud of, and that should genuinely appeal to corporate customers. "The new S80 has the latest generation of Volvo's ride and handling attributes with distinctive Scandinavian style that will appeal to the high mileage company car driver," said Ian Rendle. "The fact that Volvo used British roads to help develop the new S80 is testament to how important Volvo sees the UK market for the car, which should further help its appeal in the corporate sector."
