Volvo has confirmed it will become the fifth manufacturer in V8 Supercars, entering the sport in 2014 in partnership with Garry Rogers Motorsport.
The currently Holden-aligned squad will be rebranded Volvo Polestar Racing, set to run a pair of factory-backed S60 sedans from the opening round of next year's championship.
The team, which will benefit from significant investment from the Swedish marque, expects to have a Volvo V8 Supercar built and ready to hit the test track by late November, early December.
It will be powered by a modified version of Volvo's own 4.4-litre V8 production engine, instead of the generic Chevrolet-based V8 available to new manufacturers from V8 Supercars.
The announcement will mark Volvo’s return to Australian motorsport after winning the Australian Touring Car Championship in 1986, followed by a successful stint in the Supertouring category in the late 1990s.
"I'm delighted to announce our return to motorsport in Australia," Matt Braid, Volvo Car Australia managing director, said.
"Volvo has a rich motorsport heritage in this country, including winning Australia's most famous race, Bathurst, 15 years ago this coming October.
"As the first luxury car brand to enter a factory team in the V8 Supercars Championship, we're determined to add to this heritage, while strengthening the presence of the S60 model line and the Volvo brand here in Australia."
The partnership with the Swedish manufacturer will mark a new era for Rogers's team, which marks its 50th year in 2013.
"For myself and all our staff and sponsors who have been with us for a considerable time, the opportunity to utilise the Car Of The Future regulations to introduce Volvo to our category is certainly very exciting," Rogers said, "and I know that if we continue to work hard it will also become very rewarding.
"I am still a racer at heart and the big plus of this relationship that impressed me more than others manufacturers I had spoken to was the fact these people had done their homework on the COTF rules and regulations, and could see the commercial opportunities that this offered."
Rogers also confirmed that Fujitsu have signed on to continue their sponsorship of the team.
V8 Supercars CEO James Warburton hailed Volvo's arrival in the category.
"To have another prestigious brand like Volvo in our sport is a red letter day for V8 Supercars.
"The strength of V8 Supercars is such that global brands, not limited to car manufacturers, are becoming increasingly aware of and directly involved in the business.
"It is my vision to build V8 Supercars into one of the strongest brands in the world with the partners to match. That is the level of untapped potential I believe this sport has."
The arrival of Volvo in V8 Supercars will mirror the release of the high-performance model in the S60 suite, tuned by Swedish company Polestar, who also operate Volvo-backed race teams in Scandanavia.
Polestar managing director and owner Christian Dahl said they are very excited that the company will now make its mark in Australia.
"Polestar will do our absolute best to add Volvo knowledge, engineering and development strengths to the already competent team at Garry Rogers Motorsport," he said.
"We are very proud and excited to take on the V8 Supercars together with Volvo Car Australia and Garry Rogers Motorsport, a championship that has grown to become one of the most prestigious and competitive racing championships in the world."
Read more: http://www.foxsports.com.au/motor-sports/v8-supercars/volvo-confirm-they-will-enter-v8-supercars-in-2014-with-garry-rogers-motorsport/story-fn2ms9um-1226664985174#ixzz2WgPFYmry
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