Volvo XC90 2015 News

Volvo starts releasing images and details for new XC90 SUV.

The new XC90 will be at least 150kg lighter and much more efficient than the original, most likely with a twin-charge 2.0-litre petrol engine as Volvo moves to a line-up that - despite its involvement in V8 Supercars racing - is totally powered by four-cylinder powerplants.It’s also likely to set a new safety standard including pedestrian detection after dark.

The XC90 is being readied for sales this year, although it will not reach Australia until 2015, at the same time as Volvo is completing its design-driven work this week with the Concept Estate at the Geneva motor show.The good looking Estate follows the earlier Concept Coupe and Concept XC and Volvo says the design work will be reflected in a new generation of products.They have been funded from China, where Geely is Volvo’s new parent, but everything about them is Swedish.“This business is about product. It’s also about market investments to lay the groundwork for the new products,” the international vice-president of Volvo Car Corporation, Thomas Andersson, tells Carsguide.“Our owner is very long-term and that, in combination with the new structure, allows us to grow.“The first car out is going to be the new XC90. It’s coming … But you won’t see cars in the Australian market in 2014. You will have to wait until 2015.”Andersson admits that Volvo withered and battled during the time when it was part of the Ford empire, but says the three new concept cars show that things are about to change.“All the steps are adding facets to the story and the equity behind the new architecture and platform. Design wise, functionality wise, safety wise.”One of the major breakthroughs is a dashboard that’s been shorn of buttons and complexity in a pointer to a Volvo future where all but essential driving controls are moved to a tablet-style display.“Not having to deal with buttons and controls for a growing number of functionalities is like being freed from a pair of handcuffs,” says Volvo’s interior design director, Robin Page.Away from the concept car front, Andersson ten-fold sales growth in China in less than five years, stabilisation in Europe and a plan for the USA, including an engine strategy built around new four-cylinder powerplants.But Andersson knows that cars are what counts and forecasts a quick and comprehensive revitalisation of the range, starting with the XC90 - a luxury SUV that has grown old and dowdy through more than 10 unchanged years.“In this indutry, you cannot have a 12-year lifecycle and compete successfully. We have some core segments that we need to be in, and we are also looking at other segments where we could possibly grow. You have to deliver. Rather than over-expanding the range, we would rather focus and make success in the segments where we operate. We have to stay the course.”He is confident that Geely has the cash and commitment to allow its luxury division to flourish in the same way that Indian cash from the Tata Group has revitalised Jaguar Land Rover in Britain and allowed the creation of classy newcomers such as the Jaguar F-Type sports car and all-new Range Rover.“The interest from our Chinese owner is obviously very high. The difference between the current (Geely) ownership and previous (Ford) ownership is that we don’t have functional involvement from our new owners. We run very much as an independent company within the group. And there is a very strong understanding that Volvo needs to stay Volvo.”This reporter is on Twitter: @PaulWardGover 

The Volvo XC90 SUV is one of the oldest vehicle designs still for sale as a current model. It has gone largely unchanged since its introduction in 2003, while its German rivals have been completely redesigned several times since then.However a brand new XC90 is finally expected to be unveiled at this year's Paris Motor Show featuring design language previewed in Volvo's recent concept cars – the Concept Coupe and XC Coupe.And the second-generation XC90 will be a landmark vehicle for Volvo, as it's the first one to utilise the new Scalable Platform Architecture that will underpin every new large Volvo in the future. The Swedish manufacturer has also teased the new model before, revealing small details about its front-end styling.A large rectangular grille with round edges dominates the second-generation XC90's front with a pair of headlights incorporating 'T'-shaped LED daytime running lamps on either side. The new model also features sharp 'kicked-up' strakes in the lower front fascia.These latest spy shots taken by Carsguide's spy photographers give us a first glimpse at the actual vehicle during cold weather testing in Volvo's homeland – Sweden. While they aren't giving much detail away as to the car's design, the images give clues about the new model's overall proportions and size.Similar in size to the new BMW X5, the new XC90 features a raked windscreen and high beltline which rises further towards the rear of the car giving a sportier overall appearance compared to the current model. The front is also bluff and square which should equate to a strong and dominating appearance.When it goes on sale the new Volvo XC90 will be one of the safest vehicles on the road. The new 'SPA' chassis architecture that the XC90 rides on blends a mix of different steel grades giving the passenger cell greater strength and rigidity over previous generation Volvos.The XC90 will also feature adaptive cruise control with steering assist, smart seat-belt pre-tensions, plus new camera and radar systems designed to detect and prevent accidents. The XC90 will even be equipped with a pedestrian airbag. It's all to help Volvo achieve its aim of having zero fatalities or serious injuries in its vehicles by 2020.Rumours also suggest the new XC90 may use a new 1.5 litre three-cylinder engine currently under development, because of the new car's lower overall curb weight compared to the outgoing model.

Volvo yesterday showed off a bold new coupe concept that previews the styling direction the Swedish automaker will take for its future lineup. The first of these new-generation Volvos will be the 2015 XC90 due at the end of next year.Earlier this year, Volvo laid out some of the safety technology that will appear on its new XC90 and now we have our first look at the design of the actual vehicle, which was previewed yesterday during a presentation made by Volvo chief designer Thomas Ingenlath, where these photos were taken.Ingenlath showed how elements of the just revealed Concept Coupe, such as the T-shaped daytime running lights, lower intake wings, and tail-light graphics, will transfer from concept to production, using the 2015 XC90 as an example. We don’t get to see the whole vehicle but can clearly make out its new face, tail-light design and some of its interior controls.It appears the XC90 will be getting a chiselled and slightly more aggressive appearance look for its second generation. During the presentation, it was also revealed that Volvo’s S80 flagship sedan will be replaced by a new S90 model after the 2015 XC90 is launched, and that a ‘versatile’ V90 model is also planned as a successor for the current V70.The models will all be based around the automaker’s modular SPA platform, which will eventually underpin Volvo's lineup for all models sized from about the S60 up. For its smaller models, Volvo will use a second modular platform it is developing with its Chinese parent Geely. Power across the board will come from a new generation of engines grouped under the Drive-E heading. They will all be four-cylinder units but will be able to rival V-8s for performance with hybrid technology.www.motorauthority.com