Volvo targets one million sales after 2020

The fact that Volvo has been targeting, for some time, a doubling of its current sales to around 800,000 a year is well known.

The Sweden -based, Chinese- owned car maker has long said that it will try to hit that figure by 2020. Beyond that, though, Volvo chairman Li Shufu has said that the firm is looking to hit the one-million mark.

“The long-term target beyond 2020 is above a million cars,” Li Shufu told Swedish business daily Dagens Industri.

"China is a rapidly growing car market where customers have become more mature. That is why Volvo has a faster growth than other brands. We aim to reach the same market share there as in mature markets in Europe. This way we can reach half a million cars in China."

M4 convertible more than just hot air
BMW has revealed the first photos of the new M4 convertible, the car with which it hopes to prove that M-cars with no roofs can be just as exciting and precise as their coupe cousins.

The car uses the same 426hp twin-turbo straight-six engine as the newly- released M3 saloon and M4 coupe, and thanks to a great deal of attention to lightweight construction, it weighs 60kg less than the last-generation M3 convertible. CO2 emissions fall from 293g/km to 213g/km, while 0-100kmh is dispatched in as little as 4.4secs. The roof opens or closes in 20 seconds and leaves a 220-litre luggage space when folded (370-litres with it up).

In something of an homage to Mercedes' "Air Scarf" system which blows warm air around the occupant's necks from vents in the seatbacks, the M4 gets BMW's "Air Collar" which . . . blows warm air around the occupant's necks from vents in the seatbacks. Sales start in September.

NX compact SUV to keep concept styling
Lexus has teased the first image of its forthcoming NX compact SUV, showing that the car will keep much of the controversial styling of the LF-NX concept car.

While the spikier elements of that model have been toned down somewhat, the image reveals that the body sides still have more than a hint of Bangle-era BMW about them. The NX will also see the debut of Lexus' new 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine, which will form the basis of Lexus' next-fen hybrid set-up . The new NX will make its full debut at the Beijing Motor Show later this month.