November 23^rd, 1999                              

First official picture of new T5 wagon (blink and you’ll miss it!)

Volvo has released an "official first photo" of the new wagon it says will be the company's safest, sportiest and most versatile five-door car ever.

Well, we can see that it's a wagon, and it looks like a Volvo.

Described  as "an evolution of the premium wagon, designed to take the five-door into the new millennium", the new wagon will be unveiled in Detroit and Brussels on 10 January next year.

Initially, the new car will only be available with turbocharged engines.

The top-of-the-line version is a five-cylinder, high-pressure turbo, based on the current T5. It has been modified to enhance performance and reduce fuel consumption.

The new T5 will have an output of 184 kW at 5,200 rpm and will develop 330 Nm between 2,400 and 5,200 rpm. The car will accelerate from zero to 100 km/h in 7.1 seconds. Fuel consumption will be as low as 9.3 litres/100 km.

"This car is not only one of the safest wagons ever made, it is most probably the safest. But it is also a Volvo that complies with every customer demand relating to versatility, driving pleasure and excellent handling," says Jan Eriksson, managing director of Volvo Car Australia.

"We feel confident that our all-new wagon will come up to and even surpass customer expectations."

A core value
Volvo claims to have succeeded in combining performance with fuel consumption, particularly in comparison to its competitors.

"Environmental concern is one of Volvo Cars' core values and this is a major achievement," said Mr Eriksson.

"We have not found any luxury wagon of the same size with an engine developing more than 142 kW that can match Volvo's new T5 in terms of fuel economy."

After it is shown to the public on January 10^th at motor shows in Detroit and Brussels, sales of the new wagon in Australia will commence in April, with prices for the T5 expected to be in the high seventies (GST reduced).

The current range of model year 2000 large Volvo wagons will continue to be sold through next year.

The V70 2.4 20v is priced at $54,156, the V70 2.4 T at $64,935, and the V70 XC at $72,486 (all GST reduced prices).

Prices of all Volvos became even more competitive on July 1, 1999 when all prices were GST-reduced to the level they will be on July 1, 2000 when lower prices on cars will be introduced.