XC90 – Volvo’s Next-Generation SUV
Early this year, Volvo unveiled a concept known as the ‘Adventure Concept Car’ (ACC) and said that while the company was indeed finishing off on a brand new sport-utility vehicle (SUV), the ACC was ‘not what the car customers will see in dealer showrooms when Volvo’s first SUV is launched next year’.
Like many concept models, the ACC was intended as a ‘thermometer’ to gauge consumer response to certain aspects of the design and the features. At various motorshows, the vehicle attracted attention and comments, all of which were fed back to the designers who were fine-tuning the new model.
Well, it seems that their work finished not so long ago and today, Volvo has officially released three pictures of its new SUV which will be designed the ‘XC90′. The passenger car-based XC90 will be the flagship model in the Swedish carmaker’s new XC-range.
“Our all-wheel drive Volvo XC90 is a next-generation SUV, aimed to be one of the safest and most exciting on the market,” said Hans Wikman, Project Director.
As with all other Volvo models, there are very recognisable styling cues that link it to the other offerings of the Swedish automaker. Trademark design elements such as the V-shaped bonnet and the pronounced shoulders, have been combined with a powerful stance and modern design featuring gently rounded, elegant lines.
“We wanted the car to look masculine and confident, but not macho” explained Briton Peter Horbury, Vice President and Chief Designer at Volvo.
The functional design in combination with efficient packaging and transverse engines helps give the new Volvo XC90 the necessary preconditions for a high degree of flexibility and versatility. Up to seven people can ride in comfort and safety in forward-facing seats.
And safety is certainly a major point in every Volvo since the company has established a leading position in this area. Its expertise is so well respected that Ford, which is its parent company, has given its Swedish subsidiary the lead in safety developments for the whole Ford Group.
The XC90 showcases a range of technologically-advanced new solutions in the important area of roll-over protection. The problem of vehicle compatibility – where a SUV collides with a lower conventionally-shaped passenger car – was another high-priority area throughout the development of the Volvo XC90.
The XC90 will be offered with a choice of 5-cylinder and 6-cylinder petrol engines, or with Volvo’s new 5-cylinder diesel unit. All the engines are turbocharged.
The public will get to see the car ‘in the flesh’ at the Detroit Auto Show on January 7th 2002. Assembly of the new car will then start at the Torslanda factory in Gothenburg on Sweden’s west coast, where Volvo is concentrating the production of all its larger models.
Like Mercedes-Benz with its M-Class and BMW with the X5, the XC90 was conceived with the North American market in mind. It is this market which has the world’s biggest volume of SUVs sold each year and Volvo expects it to account for about 65% of XC90 sales. The right-hand drive version will be launched at the UK Motorshow in October 2002.
