VOLVO'S new executive sector contender - the S80 - will be unveiled in Sweden on May 28 and will go on sale in the UK in the second half of this year. The new car will slot in above the S/V and C70 range, but a UK spokeswoman denied that the model was a replacement for the S/V90 range, which is no longer available.

The front-wheel-drive saloon will be equipped with major new safety features, including WHIPS, Volvo's whiplash protection system - a new seat concept which provides protection from whiplash injuries and IC - an inflatable curtain, which is the third stage on Volvo's side impact protection system, SIPS. The S80 will be the first car on Volvo's new large platform and will be built at the company's Torslanda Plant in Gothenburg. The UK spokeswoman did not know whether a V80 would be produced.