Volvo XC concept unveiled in Detroit

The Volvo Concept XC Coupe shows the fresh new styling that will revitalise the aging XC90 SUV and future crossovers on the way for the Swedish brand. The Concept XC -- like the Concept Coupe at Frankfurt -- is underpinned by Volvo's new scalable platform, which is also likely to spawn a smaller sibling further down the track.

The Detroit show car echoes the Frankfurt one with sleek styling and a three-door fastback body. The cabin gets only four seats for the motor show version, but that number will grow by the time it hits the production line, expected to happen sometime after the real world vehicle gets a debut later this year at Paris motor show.

The team led by chief designer Thomas Ingenlath says the concept was inspired by high-tech sports equipment and aimed to appeal to the active lifestyle but also for those still looking for Volvo's signature safety. The sporting accents show in cues like the orange accents on the  21-inch wheels and the matching front and rear skid plates -- neither of which are destined to survive the journey to production.

However you can expect to see influences of the Concept's streamlined design appear in the XC90 and other Volvo SUVs, along with the raised ride height, vertical floating grille and muscular sills, although the T-shaped LED section dividing the headlight clusters, and the stylised extremes of Volvo's hook-curved tail-lights will likely be toned down.

Expect the XC90 in production form to have a full arsenal of the latest Volvo safety tech, including pedestrian-detecting automatic braking and collision-avoiding 'convoy' system that lets you autonomously follow the car in front.

The earlier Concept Coupe carried a hybrid drivetrain with a turbocharged and supercharged 1.4-litre engine working with an electric motor to produce a combined 300kW of power and 600Nm of torque. However while a hybrid is a possibility for the production XC90, the range will continue to offer more conventional engines such as the current  choices of a 179kW/320Nm 3.2-litre petrol unit -- although possibly downsized -- and a 147kW/420Nm 2.4-litre diesel.

And the XC90 is just the first SUV planned to come off the platform, with the smaller XC60 also due for replacement in the next two years and Volvo indicating they'd like to add a little XC40 to enter the growing baby crossover field.