The unveiling of the highly anticipated new Volvo XC90 heralds a new chapter in the company’s history.
It’s part of an 11 billion dollar investment programme which has been three years in the making and the new-look seven-seat SUV comes loaded with fresh technology plus a whole host of extra safety features.
The vehicle’s starting price will be £45,000 for the D5 AWD Momentum model and sales start in October, following the XC90’s public debut at the Paris Motor Show. First deliveries are expected next May.
Volvo president Hakan Samuelsson said: “This is one of the most important days in our history. We are not just launching a car, but re-launching our brand.
“The XC90 paves the way for a portfolio of exciting new cars to come in the following years.”
Not surprisingly, the XC90 will be the first Volvo to sport the company’s new face, a more prominent iron mark which has the Volvo arrow aligned with the diagonal slash across the grille. This together with the T-shaped “Thor’s Hammer” lights gives the model a fresh more confident look.
A larger bonnet, sharpened shoulders, new rear lights and a range of wheels up to 22-inches all add to the car’s appeal.
And the engine line-up is pretty impressive too. It will be powered by a range of 2.0-litre Drive-E powertrains – the range-topper is the XC90 Twin Engine, which combines a four-cylinder supercharged and turbocharged petrol unit with an electric motor. It will deliver close to 400bhp with carbon emissions of around 60g/km.
And on the safety front, Volvo promises “the most comprehensive and technologically sophisticated standard safety package available in the automotive industry”.
It includes two world first safety technologies. The first is a run-off road protection package. In a run-off road scenario, the XC90 detects what’s happening and the front safety belts are tightened to keep the occupants in position.
The second feature is an auto brake at intersection capability whereby the car brakes automatically if the driver turns in front of an oncoming vehicle
City Safety becomes the name for all Volvo’s auto brake functions, which is standard kit in the new XC90. It now covers vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians in front of the car, day and night.
Volvo’s research and development chief Peter Mertens said: “The new technologies will take us a significant step closer to our vision that no-one will be killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo car by 2020.
“Our starting point on safety is the same today as it was when the company was created almost 90 years ago – real-life situations. We study data. We crunch numbers. We innovate. The result is one of the safest cars ever made.”
Meanwhile, Volvo is sticking with its Scandinavian design heritage for the XC90’s interior, the most striking feature of which is a tablet-like touch screen control console.