Volvo North America Corp

The nation's largest car market, Southern California, is losing two major automobile operations. Chrysler said Friday that it would close its Pacifica Advanced Product Design Center in Carlsbad to reduce costs. Separately, Volvo of North America, a subsidiary of Ford Motor Co., said it would abandon its Irvine headquarters in favor of Rockleigh, N.J., by the end of the year. "We have evaluated the situation in the U.S.

Defective throttles in 1999-2001 Volvos have been failing at unusually high rates, causing cars to stall, raising air emissions and sticking owners with costly repairs. State and federal air quality officials are pressing Volvo for a commitment to spend millions of dollars to replace the devices as they fail, and to reimburse owners who have paid for the work themselves.

Swedish truck and bus maker Volvo on Thursday said it would recall 125,000 trucks in North America because of a fire hazard. Tommy Kohle, a spokesman for the Goteborg-based company, said it would recall the VN, VHD and VT models built from 2003 to the present. The trucks have been sold in the U.S., Mexico and Canada. "There's a problem in the main switch in the lighting system which can lead to an overheating in the component," he said. Kohle said Volvo would fix the problem free of charge.

To help car buyers reduce monthly payments, lenders a few years ago introduced four-year auto loans. Then five-year loans. Then six. But a 10-year car loan? Volvo Cars of North America announced Thursday that customers will be able to finance new Volvos with loans through New York's Chase Manhattan Bank for as long as 10 years--by far the longest maturity ever offered by a major U.S. lender.

Sweden's Volvo has long been considered a bland, boxy export. Its cars were known for their safety features and unexciting designs, and the brand had a loyal, but limited, following. That changed after Ford Motor Co. bought Volvo in 1999 for $6.5 billion. Volvo adopted new designs that replaced straight edges with svelte lines and started talking about performance in addition to safety. Volvo is expected to sell 140,000 vehicles in the U.S.

Two Super Bowl advertisers are using contests to help their commercials stand out during the broadcast that typically draws television's largest audience. Volvo Trucks of North America will use the Jan. 25 broadcast on NBC to name 25 semifinalists for a $120,000 truck. Mail Boxes Etc. will showcase a small-business owner chosen from thousands who have entered its contest.

The Swedish auto maker Volvo said Wednesday that it acquired a 20% interest in Hertz Corp., the world's largest car rental company, in hopes of increasing the exposure of Volvo cars worldwide. Volvo's North American unit said it paid $100 million in cash for the one-fifth share of Hertz, which it purchased from Park Ridge Corp., a subsidiary of Ford Motor Co. A Volvo spokesman said the move would raise worldwide exposure for its autos by increasing the number rented through Hertz outlets.

Defective throttles in 1999-2001 Volvos have been failing at unusually high rates, causing cars to stall, raising air emissions and sticking owners with costly repairs. State and federal air quality officials are pressing Volvo for a commitment to spend millions of dollars to replace the devices as they fail, and to reimburse owners who have paid for the work themselves.

Sweden's Volvo has long been considered a bland, boxy export. Its cars were known for their safety features and unexciting designs, and the brand had a loyal, but limited, following. That changed after Ford Motor Co. bought Volvo in 1999 for $6.5 billion. Volvo adopted new designs that replaced straight edges with svelte lines and started talking about performance in addition to safety. Volvo is expected to sell 140,000 vehicles in the U.S.

Volvo Cars of North America is recalling 65,000 vehicles because the seat heaters could short circuit and catch fire. The recall involves 1996 models of the Volvo 854 and 855 equipped with seat heaters. Excessive compression of the seat cushion by heavy people could damage the electrical wiring of the heater and cause a short, according to a report posted on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Web site.

Ford Motor Co. said Dan Werbin took over as chief executive of Volvo Cars of North America, putting the former head of Volvo's Japanese business in charge of the luxury unit's largest market. Werbin was named CEO of the Volvo North American unit in May, though he hadn't assumed the duties.

Just 10 days after the chief of General Motors Corp.'s Cadillac division suddenly resigned to head Ford Motor Co.'s advertising efforts, GM raided Ford's Volvo division to find a new leader for Cadillac. GM named Mark LaNeve, chief executive at Volvo cars in North America, general manager of Cadillac, effective today. LaNeve, 42, returns to GM after three years at Volvo.

The test run by the California Highway Patrol to convert its fleet of black and white Ford pursuit cars to upscale Volvos has crashed. CHP Commissioner D.O. "Spike" Helmick said the chief problem is that Volvo next year will stop making its S70 police sedan, the model the patrol has been road-testing since last summer. Volvo wants the CHP to buy station wagons instead. "We're not in the market for a station wagon. We're in the market for a sedan," Helmick said.

Swedish truck and bus maker Volvo on Thursday said it would recall 125,000 trucks in North America because of a fire hazard. Tommy Kohle, a spokesman for the Goteborg-based company, said it would recall the VN, VHD and VT models built from 2003 to the present. The trucks have been sold in the U.S., Mexico and Canada. "There's a problem in the main switch in the lighting system which can lead to an overheating in the component," he said. Kohle said Volvo would fix the problem free of charge.

Just 10 days after the chief of General Motors Corp.'s Cadillac division suddenly resigned to head Ford Motor Co.'s advertising efforts, GM raided Ford's Volvo division to find a new leader for Cadillac. GM named Mark LaNeve, chief executive at Volvo cars in North America, general manager of Cadillac, effective today. LaNeve, 42, returns to GM after three years at Volvo.

Two Super Bowl advertisers are using contests to help their commercials stand out during the broadcast that typically draws television's largest audience. Volvo Trucks of North America will use the Jan. 25 broadcast on NBC to name 25 semifinalists for a $120,000 truck. Mail Boxes Etc. will showcase a small-business owner chosen from thousands who have entered its contest.

A head-on collision between Volvo Cars of North America and a local garage that repairs the Swedish-built luxury cars has been averted after hundreds of the repair shop's customers launched a letter-writing campaign. Dr. Volvo Independent Service, the Fountain Valley garage that has battled Volvo for nearly five years to keep its identity, has agreed to modify its name and relegate the auto brand to small print. The new name will be The Dr.: Volvo Specialist.