Irvine, CA (February 1, 2005) ? After a year in which 8 monthly all-time highs translated to a sales best-ever year, Volvo Cars of North America, LLC (VCNA) begins 2005 with sales of 10,160 units. Compared to the January 2004 record year, sales were off slightly by 1.6 percent. Notable for Volvo Cars during the month, the new S40 remained strong in further expanding sales for its segment. The S40 and V50 are selling over 100 percent ahead of the same period last year in the United States. The Volvo S40/V50 is among the top three finalists for World Car of the Year, announced today. The inaugural award will be declared February 16, 2005 at the Canadian International Auto Show, in Canada.Meanwhile, demand for the V8 variant of the award-winning Volvo XC90 continued to build momentum despite short supply, which bodes well for Volvo’s sales growth as the leading European SUV. Sales of the XC90 for the month were up 3.2 percent.Additional exposure for the V8 is expected with Volvo’s first-ever Super Bowl Ad to appear in the mega-media sports event this coming weekend.Overall, 11,030 unit sales were recorded for Volvo Cars in North America (Canada, Mexico, the United States and Puerto Rico). Sales of 583 units for Canada and 287 units for Mexico were, up 1.7 percent and an impressive 33.5 percent, respectively.Source: VCNA, part of the Volvo Car Corporation of Gothenburg, Sweden, provides marketing, sales, parts, service, technology and training support to Volvo automobile retailers in the United States, and oversees Volvo operations in Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico.