Asgard’s new SUV: Volvo XC90

By Alvin Uy April 21,2015
The all-new Volvo XC90 will be in PH very soon.

The all-new Volvo XC90 will be in PH very soon.

Volvo’s iconic XC90 has recently undergone a new model change and the all-new 7-seater is expected to be launched in the Philippines very soon. As with any other Volvo vehicle, this premium SUV comes with world-leading safety features and is now equipped with Volvo’s new Drive-E engines including a top-of-the-line T8 Twin Engine powertrain with a rating of close to 400 horsepower and a low CO2 emissions of around 60 g/km.

 

With over 16,000 orders worldwide since its world premiere, 1927 individually numbered First Edition XC90s were made available for sale online which was sold out in 47 hours after it was released in last September. “These strong order numbers are very encouraging and it shows that customers obviously like what they see in the new XC90,” says Håkan Samuelsson, President and CEO of Volvo Cars. “The new XC90 represents the new Volvo Cars and it is the first in a series of new cars to come, as we renew our entire product portfolio in the coming years.”

 

The all-new XC90 features a combination of power and fuel efficiency.

The all-new XC90 features a combination of power and fuel efficiency.

With a potent combination of power and fuel efficiency, the new XC90 comes with a beautiful interior and striking exterior design that includes an innovative tablet-like touch screen control console, which forms as the heart and face of Volvo’s all-new in-car control system architecture. The model also sets a milestone for its future design direction, incorporating its own range of new technologies and utilizing its new Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) technology.

 

With four plants in operation and an upcoming one in the US, the production of the all-new XC90 is part of Volvo’s long-term vision to extend itself as true global carmaker. Currently, it has two factories in Europe and two in China. Since 2010, Volvo has been undergoing a strategic transformation plan in its creation of a global industrial footprint, the complete renewal of Volvo’s product range over the next four years, the introduction of a new modular vehicle technology, the development of world-first safety technologies, a new design language and a range of class-leading connectivity services.

 

The XC90 is slated to be the first car in its range to be built on the Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) modular chassis technology developed in-house by Volvo. For over four years, the SPA has been under in-house development at Volvo thanks largely to the company’s ongoing USD 11 billion transformation plan.

 

The flexibility of its SPA liberates Volvo’s engineers and designers to allow them to devise and introduce a wide range of new design features at the same time as improving drivability, introducing world-first safety features, offering the latest connected car technologies and creating more interior space. “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,” says Peter Mertens, Senior Vice President, Research and Development of Volvo Car Group.

SPA also changes the way Volvo builds cars in future by allowing a wide range of cars, powertrains, electrical systems and technologies – all of differing complexity – to be fitted on the same architecture, generating significant economies of scale.

 

“SPA gives us a fresh technological start. Around 90 percent of the components in the all-new XC90 and upcoming models are new and unique. We are raising the bar to the very top of the premium league when it comes to quality and technology level in every vital area,” adds Mertens.

 

“This has created greater freedom for us to design cars with a confident stance, dynamic proportions and a number of distinctive design signatures. Our three recent concept cars have demonstrated this capability. Even though the all-new XC90 is an entirely different type of car, you will recognize the connection instantly,” says Thomas Ingenlath, Senior Vice President Design of Volvo Car Group.

 

“Thor’s Hammer” running lights

Volvo has also revealed images of the front end or ‘face’ of the new XC90 SUV, which is distinguished by its T-shaped running lights, christened ‘Thor’s Hammer’ by the design team after the shape of the hammer used by the famous Norse god of thunder Thor. “Anyone who looks in their rear-view mirror is going to know immediately that there is a new XC90 behind them,” says Ingenlath. “The XC90 is a car that has presence on the road.”

 

Volvo is distributed in the country by Scandinavian Motors Corporation, with authorized Volvo dealers in Alabang, Cebu, Iloilo, Makati and North EDSA. The current Volvo range includes the all-new V40 and V40 Cross Country, the redesigned S60, XC60 and V60, and the S80 as well as the XC90. All high-performance R-Design Volvo variants are also included in the line-up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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