Volvo, Ford to help out with Aston's Rapide
This is cooler than the Marcos. Aston Martin is calling on Volvo's formidable safety expertise to help develop the forthcoming Rapide. Volvo's safety systems will be integrated into the new four-door Aston, which means we should look to see an active stability control system and possibly some of Volvo's newer tricks like blind-spot monitoring, collision avoidance and at-the-ready brakes. Volvo's skill at developing a strong safety cage into a rigid unit-body will also play a part in developing the Rapide.
We're dreaming, but it would be fun to see that development work lead to a new 1800. Not bloody likely, but once the work on the Aston is done, there'll be all that pent up fast-car energy in Goteborg. Regardless of what Volvo ends up doing, the Rapide is set to drop in late 2008, at which point we're looking forward to a Panamera/Quattroporte/Rapide three-way smackdown.
[Source: Auto Motor & Sport via Motor Authority]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Oliver Dueck 9:06AM (3/19/2007)
You can also add the Mercedes CLS63 to that comparison.
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DJ 9:33AM (3/19/2007)
I don't see Volvo taking their expertise that far up the food chain. A more likely scenario is that they use some of it in the new flagship S90/V90/??. And now that Jag is free to compete wholeheartedly against AM, expect to see a lot of the technology in the next XJ. Probably see it in the next Range Rover too.
Isn't it funny that it took the sale of AM to get the Rapide off the dime?
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omar 12:59PM (3/19/2007)
I knew it was coming soon. Volvo is co deveolping the platform for this new AM car. This means that Volvo will produce there own new large sedan flagship and wgaon. Notice that they built a new V8 engine, the new s80 is exactly the same size as the first s80, and the new xc/v70 are the new wagons for the s80. I knew it was coming all along, Volvo is getting ready top build their first large sedan, its going to be four wheel drive also. I hope they dub the sedan as the Volvo S100 and the V90 wagon.
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