Near the end of this month, Volvo will fully unveil its Mjönir-eyed second-generation XC90, the first vehicle in the Sino-Swedish automaker’s lineup to use its Scalable Product Architecture.
Automotive News reports until then, Volvo dropped a handful of teaser shots of the upcoming SUV. Senior vice president of R&D, Peter Mertens, explained what the new XC90 means for Volvo:
SPA and the XC90 are firm evidence of our Volvo-by-Volvo strategy. The XC90’s outstanding combination of luxury, space, versatility, efficiency and safety will bring the SUV segment into a new dimension, just as the original XC90 did in 2002.
The XC90 will take on the likes of the Lexus RX, Cadillac SRX and Mercedes M-Class when it goes on sale in the United States early in 2015, while its architecture will make its way into the rest of the Volvo global lineup as each model enters a new generation.
Hmm.. I can’t say that’s the best teaser shot they could have done. It resembles a LED-equipped Buick Terraza, only without the lower turn signal market
Now that you say that I see it, that and a gussied up Chevy Uplander.
Where’s my brown, manual, diesel, XC70!? j/k
But for real, where’s a new XC70? Since we’re only just now getting a replacement for the new in 2002 XC90 will I have to wait another 5 years for a 4th gen XC70?
Boo Volvo.
http://www.netcarshow.com/buick/2005-terraza_cxl/1280×960/wallpaper_05.htm
Why change the 70? You must be one of the two Volvo wagon buyers who doesn’t dread the possibility they will muck it up. :)
“Where’s my brown, manual, diesel, XC70!?”
In the UK, sadly. I’d buy one too (mine would be blue though).
I expect that the XC70/V70/S80 are next on their list after the XC90. They will, of course, be using the same platform.
Agree, though my first reaction was that it for some reason made me think of Roll Royce.
It looks like both a Rolls Royce and a GM U-Body…
I bet that’s something that will never, ever get said again.
Quite right. My grandparents have a dark blue Terraza, so I’m used to seeing that face. Even if the rest of the XC is different, it has a very Buick grille.
Struts off an Integra and air springs?
I wish future owners good luck. That’s a lot of weight to hang off of a tiny upper ball joint.
I can’t think of any air spring application that was reliable, or even cheap to fix. That translates into terrible residuals and lease rates. My guess is that the air spring XC-90 will be the equivalent to the previous-gen V8: something journalists will drive, but almost nobody will actually buy.
Are they technically struts if they don’t turn with the front tires? Me thinks they’re just pretty coil overs and the whole assembly looks like a really tall version of a double wish bone suspension.
I consider them struts because the strut inserts handle all loads, not just up/down.
As far as I’m concerned, a true double wishbone or SLA will stand-up on it’s own without the damper. I’m hardly an authority, so don’t take my word for it.
I’ve always had a soft part for Swedish cars, but I couldn’t buy one now being that the company is chinese owned.
Seems like a lot of development work just to sell 5000 of these in the US.
This nameplate’s sales have fallen by more than 85% over 10 years’ time.
It may be too late to save this entry into the (very crowded) SUV market. The aged original version sold for about 8 years too long, damaging the name.
And there are a lot more competitors now than in 02, while the Volvo name arguably means less than it did then.
Grille (and even the shape of the headlights) look a lot like BMW.
The 3.2 in the current one doesn’t exactly wow on paper. While I’m sure the new turbo 4 and twin-charged 4 will motivate this thing better, I’m still curious if this isn’t too much mass for those engines (like the 2.0EB in the Explorer). I really liked their last few concepts though. It will be interesting to see if the concept styling survives to production, and if Americans still care enough about the Volvo name to put one of these in their driveway vs. a non-luxury Durango RT/Explorer Sport (or future 2.7EB).
I hate to say it, but that teaser shot looks like a Buick Terraza or Enclave to me.
Mjolnir? Thor laughs. Volvo, thou are not worthy. (Even if I kind of liked the C30.)
Passenger spaces looks like it could be a little tight. Like so many of its contemporaries, this has a third row grafted on almost like a jumper seat, I expected better. Either make it long enough to accommodate human adults with a cargo area, or don’t bother offering the additional row.