Every car brand has its flagship, and for Volvo that would be the S80 sedan. Though larger than the other models in the lineup, this five-passenger ride has never measured up well against its competitors, namely the Acura RL offering 290-horsepower RL, the Infiniti M offering up to 335 horses, and the updated GS 300 and GS 430 from Lexus. Each leaves the 208-horsepower 2006 Volvo S80 in its dust, and presents shoppers with modern engineering that doesn’t date to the late 1990s.

For 2007, Volvo fights back with an update of its biggest car, adding smooth new bodywork, a revised interior, and two new engines, one of which is a V8 pushing 315 horsepower, to a vehicle that is already known for its focus on safety. Volvo will start offering the 2007 S80 in June 2006. Pricing has not been announced.

Volvo is a company on a mission, one that is intent on beating its own drums to make car shoppers realize that the sleek and sexy sedans, wagons, convertibles, and SUVs they see cruising down the highways are indeed Volvo models, that the only tie to the past is the brand’s focus on safety and its Scandinavian heritage. Now it’s time for buyers to consider competitive performance as a reason to purchase.

After the 2007 Volvo S80 goes on sale later this year, company officials are estimating that annual production will ramp up to 50,000 units, with nearly 70 percent of total S80 sales to buyers new to the Volvo brand.

Two engines will be offered on the 2007 Volvo S80, though a third, a 185-horsepower turbo diesel, will be deployed for overseas markets. Here at home, the options consist of a Yamaha-built V8 that produces 315 horsepower or an all-new 3.2-liter six-cylinder power plant offering 238 horsepower.

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