During this week's big reveal event for the 2016 Volvo XC90, we stumbled across Volvo's ambitious product plans for the next four years—and beyond. Actually, we didn't so much as stumble across them as we were shown them: Buried in a presentation slide covering XC90 details, and visible for less than half a minute, was a tiny chart showing what Volvo has planned next. This happy accident immediately made the classroom session magnitudes more exciting.
We already knew that the XC90 would spearhead the company's self-described rebirth, but we now know what the whole litter will eventually include. Here's what we learned:
Volvo is planning on building nine core models over three key model lines: the 40-, 60-, and 90-series. Each group will consist of a sedan, a wagon, and an SUV/crossover. Today, Volvo's global lineup includes the non-U.S. compact V40 wagon; an S60 sedan, V60 wagon, and XC60 crossover; the larger S80 sedan, Euro-market V70 wagon, and XC70 off-road wagon; and finally, the new XC90. Currently, only the 60-series is fully fleshed out as per plan.
The new information indicates that the S80 and V70—Volvo's aging "flagship" duo—will be replaced by a large-mid-size S90 with a V90 wagon counterpart previewed by the gorgeous Concept Estate. The 60-series rides will remain Volvo's mid-size offerings, while the 40-series line appears to regain an S40 sedan (which has been dead since 2012) and get an all-new XC40 compact crossover. All of these models, we're told, have the potential for global sale. Yes, that means the U.S., too.
All of the fresh models in the new 60- and 90-series family will utilize Volvo's Scalable Product Architecture (SPA), a shared modular platform that, days ago, made its debut under the 2016 XC90. All of the SPA-based cars will bow by 2017 or 2018, and the S90 should be the next major product launch. The 40 group will, by the end of the decade, have switched entirely onto Volvo's CMA architecture, a compact front-drive platform in co-development with the Swedes' Chinese Geely overlords. We don't anticipate Volvo will introduce the S40 sedan or the XC40 crossover before the new CMA platform is ready, but it's possible that the automaker could fast-track the two new 40 cars using the current V40′s pre-CMA underpinnings.
In addition to learning of Volvo's new-model proliferation, we also got a taste of what those cars might look like. In an interview with Thomas Ingenlath, Volvo's recently acquired chief designer, during the XC90 reveal event, we were told that every new Volvo going forward will share its basic "face" with the XC90, but each car will wear individualized styling tailored to its size and price. This holds great promise for the brand, since the formal-looking XC90 is quite handsome. Ingenlath seemed eager to apply some of the hotness found on the Concept Estate and Concept Coupe show properties to production Volvos. Right on.
- 2015 Volvo S60 / V60 Polestar First Drive: The Hot Volvos Are Here
- 10 Things You Need to Know About the 2016 Volvo XC90
- Volvo XC60 Research: Full Pricing, Specs, News, Reviews, and More
Introducing new small cars here in the U.S. is critical for Volvo, which needs something affordable—and sexy—both to attract younger buyers and to compete with the new crop of entry-level cars from Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz. On the other end of the spectrum, Volvo desperately needs a great S90 to give its 60-series customers a bigger and more sumptuous car to upgrade to instead of abandoning ship for another brand. It's certainly an exciting time in Gothenburg, and we are very much looking forward to seeing these plans unfold.
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