Volvo Las Vegas

By ALASTAIR SLOANE

Swedish carmaker Volvo has shaken off its conservative image and entered the world of extreme makeovers, automotive-style.

Its North American arm developed one-off models of the XC90 four-wheel-drive, S40 T5 sedan and V50 T5 station wagon for this week's Specialty Equipment Market Association show in Las Vegas, the annual aftermarket bonanza of weird and wonderful vehicles.

Volvo calls its XC90 concept the PUV - Power Utility Vehicle. It is based on the new V8 model, expected in New Zealand late next year, but has been dressed to thrill with a red paint scheme, lowered suspension, 9 inch-wide high-performance alloy wheels, deep front spoiler and rear valance with quad exhaust pipes.

"This was such a fun concept," said Vic Doolan, president and CEO of Volvo Cars North America. "It has all the safety that Volvo is known for, with the looks and performance of an exotic car. It is a concept to get the juices flowing and to get Volvo noticed."

The engine in the XC90 PUV develops 485kW (650bhp). It is a supercharged version of Volvo's standard 232kW/440Nm 4.4-litre V8, the first V8 in the company's 77-year history.

The S40's design was taken to extremes by Evolve Cars Inc, based in Southern California. Its custom-built body kit and trim were designed not only for appearance but also to aid airflow to the S40 T5's 2.5-litre five-cylinder engine and its bigger turbocharger, estimated to produce more than 298kW (400bhp).

The most radical parts of the Evolve S40's design are the 19-inch alloy wheels - 8.5 inches wide at the front and 11 inches at the rear - a 3.5-inch dual exhaust system, and the Formula One-style pushrod rear suspension.

The V50 SV, a tarted-up version of the standard all-wheel-drive V50 T5, was developed by Volvo's special vehicles team in Gothenburg, Sweden.

The exterior styling is based on a forthcoming Sport model and uses styling kit, including 18-inch wheels, already available as accessories. It borrows the high-performance V70 R's six-speed manual gearbox and turbocharged engine, modified to improve performance to 254kW (340bhp), or 90kW(120bhp) more than the standard 2.5-litre, five-cylinder unit.