Updated 8.12.14 with additional platform info from Volvo
More info from Volvo today about the all-new XC90’s platform – plus the first official exterior image!
Granted, it is just a headlight close-up… but we are excited all the same.
[ The full exteriors shown here are unofficial renderings. ]
2015 VOLVO XC90 Powertrain
Well, here is some good news!
So far, we have seen the new XC90’s interior luxury and infotainment solutions. The luxury looks good, but the info touchscreen is a bit short of the Tesla 17-inch ideal.
Under the hood? This has been another worry – will dropping the inline-6, turbo six and V8 engines hurt the XC90 in power-pad American showrooms?
The answer is a big No!
The range-topping plug-in hybrid powertrain is teased today, and it looks awesome. Called T8 for twin-engine 4+4 shorthand, the T8 brings 400 horsepower and 472 pound-feet of torque. Through a standard eight-speed automatic, the loaded XC90 is sure to be powerful, efficient and extremely quiet inside when the batteries are charged overnight.
The USA-bound XC90 will also be offered in a T6 engine setup – which is a 316-horsepower turbo and supercharged four-cylinder. Impressive stuff! I hope Volvo invites me to come drive one for a review.
The new XC90 is expected in Paris in October, and will go on sale here in the US about a month or two afterwards – we predict.
Blue XC90 Rendering – Artist Credit Auto Express
2015 VOLVO XC90
Official Details below from Volvo.
All-new XC90 will be the first Volvo built on the company’s new Scalable Product Architecture
Volvo’s all-new XC90 – which will be revealed in two weeks’ time in Stockholm – will be the first car in its range to be built on the Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) modular chassis technology developed in-house.
SPA has been under in-house development at Volvo for the past four years and is the cornerstone of the company’s ongoing 11 billion dollar transformation plan. It will be introduced with the all-new XC90 and then rolled out across the product range in future.
The benefits of SPA are twofold. First, the flexibility of SPA liberates Volvo’s engineers and designers, allowing them to devise and introduce a wide range of new and alluring design features while also improving driveability, 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,” said Dr. Peter Mertens, Senior Vice President, Research and Development of Volvo Car Group.
Secondly, SPA will change 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 the quality and technology level in every vital area,” said Mertens.
Liberating technology
More freedom for designers
SPA offers more design possibilities than ever in areas such as wheelbase, overhang, vehicle height and the height of the front of the vehicle.
“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 when it is revealed in two weeks,” said Thomas Ingenlath, Senior Vice President Design of Volvo Car Group.
Outstanding driving pleasure and flexibility
The new SPA chassis technology reduces weight and improves weight distribution, improving driving pleasure without compromising on ride comfort.
SPA also allows for far more flexibility inside the car. The all-new XC90 features innovatively designed seats that free up interior space for passengers in the second and third rows, helping make the all-new XC90 a genuine seven-seater.
The sliding function on all seats in the second row can be used to create more legroom for passengers in the third row – or to increase loading capacity. The seats in the third row offer class-leading comfort for passengers up to 5 feet 7 inches tall.
“SPA has enabled us to create the world’s first no-compromise SUV,” said Mertens. “You get the agility of a much smaller and lower car, an in-command feel and generous interior space, plus an adrenaline rush delivered by powertrains that offer an unrivalled combination of power and low emissions. Of course, it carries the Volvo badge, meaning world-class safety is standard.”
Unrivalled combination of power and fuel efficiency
The all-new XC90 offers a range of Drive-E engine options, all of which provide an outstanding combination of performance and fuel-efficiency. This modular family of two-liter, four-cylinder engines has several levels of turbocharging to cover the whole range from high power and torque variants to fuel-efficient versions. The 316 hp, T6 supercharged and turbocharged gasoline engine will be offered in the U.S.
The top-of-the-range XC90 T8 twin engine plug-in hybrid combines a two-liter, four-cylinder supercharged and turbocharged engine with an electric motor and offers an unrivalled combination of power and clean operation – around 400 horsepower with carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of around 60 g/km (NEDC driving cycle). This will make it the only 7-seat plug-in hybrid SUV available in the U.S.
SPA is also able to integrate electrification at all levels without intruding on interior space or load space. Other carmakers have struggled to combine the bulk of a battery pack with a luxurious and spacious interior, something that Volvo has managed to overcome with SPA.
Improved safety without compromises
SPA helps make it possible for Volvo to bolster the company’s world-leading reputation for safety without compromising on design, size or weight. Thanks to the extensive use of high-strength boron steel, SPA cars can be made more compact and safer at the same time.
SPA also includes an innovative electrical architecture that elevates the car’s intelligence level significantly. It is designed to make it easy to integrate new technology within fast-moving areas such as microprocessor, sensor and camera technology. This facilitates the introduction of new accident-preventing safety solutions – and enables rapid introduction of new multimedia and connectivity options.
“We have created a single nerve system with full control over all the connections in the vehicle. This is unique in the industry,” said Mertens.
Industrial benefits
In addition to the significant product-related advantages of the scalable architecture there are also industrial benefits.
SPA allows Volvo to develop a model range consisting of cars based on the same joint modules and interfaces, scalable systems and components and built in a flexible production system. This means all Volvo models from the 60-cluster upwards can be built on the same production line irrespective of complexity.
The new face of Volvo: ‘Thor’s Hammer’ running lights
Today, for the first time, Volvo is revealing images of the front end or ‘face’ of the all-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,” said Ingenlath. “The XC90 is a car that has presence on the road.”
About Volvo
Volvo Cars of North America, LLC, (www.volvocars.com/us) is a subsidiary of Volvo Car Group of Gothenburg, Sweden. VCNA provides marketing, sales, parts, service, technology and training support to Volvo automobile retailers in the United States. For more information please refer to the VCNA media website at: http://www.media.volvocars.com/us and follow Volvo’s blog at: www.volvoblog.us.
Keywords:
Safety, Environment, Technology, All New XC90, 2015
Volvo Cars’ all-new XC90 will be the world’s most powerful and cleanest SUV
• All-wheel drive, seven seats, around 400 hp and 472 lb.-ft. of torque with ultra-low emissions of around 60g/km
• Delivering guilt-free luxury SUV ownership
• New Volvo-developed Plug-in Hybrid, Twin Engine technology
Volvo Cars’ all-new XC90 will offer an unrivaled combination of power and clean operation when it is launched later this year. The all-wheel drive seven-seater will deliver guilt-free luxury SUV ownership, offering drivers around 400 horsepower but with carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of around 60 g/km (NEDC driving cycle). There has never been an SUV offering this level of power this cleanly.
“There are no compromises when you drive an all-new XC90,” said Peter Mertens, Senior Vice President Research and Development of Volvo Car Group. “In the past you could either have power or low CO2 emissions. But with the all-new XC90 you can have both.”
The new XC90 offers a range of Drive-E engine options, all of which provide an outstanding combination of performance and fuel-efficiency. The main distinguishing feature of the Drive-E engine range is that they are all four-cylinder engines.
“With our new Drive-E powertrains, we have created a family of intelligent gasoline engines with power curves that give exciting drivability at the same time as delivering world-beating fuel economy,” added Dr. Mertens. “With seven people in the new XC90, carbon dioxide emissions per person are outstandingly low.”
The CO2 performance of the all-new XC90 will reinforce Volvo Cars’ leadership when it comes to bringing more environmentally-sound technologies to market. According to figures monitored by European car industry association ACEA, Volvo Car Group delivered an industry-leading reduction of average fleet emissions by 8.4 percent from 2012 to 2013.
Plug-in Hybrid – Twin Engine technology
Volvo has made it possible for a four-cylinder engine to provide all the driving pleasure associated with a much larger engine and do so far more efficiently and cleanly. Drive-E engines will, over time, be introduced across Volvo’s entire range and are already available on model year 2015 carlines.
For the all-new XC90, the top of the range plug-in hybrid ‘Twin Engine’ will carry the badge ‘T8’ and be a plug-in electric car, hybrid car and high-performance car rolled into one.
Normal driving is conducted in the default hybrid mode. This utilizes a two-liter; four-cylinder supercharged and turbocharged Drive-E gasoline engine that powers the front wheels and an 80 hp (60 kW) electric motor that drives the rear wheels.
It uses the supercharger to fill in the bottom end of the power range to give the engine a big, naturally-aspirated feel, while the turbocharger kicks in when the airflow builds up. The electric motor on the rear wheels provides immediate torque.
But at the push of a button the driver can switch to quiet and emission-free city driving on pure electric power where the range will be around 25 miles, and then, when needed, immediately revert back to the combined capacity of the gasoline engine and electric motor, with its combined output of around 400 hp and 472 lb.-ft. of torque.
Engine options
The Volvo XC90 range also includes a T6 gasoline engine option. The T6 turbo engine with supercharger and turbo will deliver 316 hp and a maximum torque of 295 lb.-ft. The T6 is expected to offer a best-in-class combination of power and fuel economy, even when compared to diesel models.
Not only is there no compromise in terms of performance or efficiency, but Volvo Cars’ new Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) chassis technology also allows for far more flexibility inside the car. Other carmakers have struggled to combine the bulk of a battery pack with a luxurious and spacious interior, something that Volvo has managed to overcome.
“Since our new SPA technology is designed from the start to accommodate electrification technologies, the Twin Engine installation does not compromise luggage or passenger space,” said Dr. Mertens.
The all-new XC90
The original XC90 was launched in 2002, and it revolutionized the SUV segment with its combination of space, versatility and safety. It went on to become a global sales phenomenon. The all-new XC90 will also be a transformational vehicle in its market segment.
The new XC90 is the first Volvo to use the company’s Scalable Product Architecture (SPA), which creates a far wider range of design possibilities, improves drivability and permits the inclusion of the latest safety features and connected in-car technologies, while at the same time increasing interior space.
Tom Burkart is the founder and managing editor of Car-Revs-Daily.com, an innovative and rapidly-expanding automotive news magazine.
He holds a Journalism JBA degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Tom currently resides in Charleston, South Carolina with his two amazing dogs, Drake and Tank.
Mr. Burkart is available for all questions and concerns by email Tom(at)car-revs-daily.com.