November 30, 2001

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Preview:
Volvo XC90
by Greg Wilson

Volvo released the first official photos of the Volvo XC90 on Thursday. Volvo says the car-based XC90 is the company's first sport utility vehicle. The Volvo XC90 will be unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on January 7, 2002.

"Our all-wheel drive Volvo XC90 is a next generation SUV, aimed to be one of the safest and most exciting on the market," says Hans Wikman, Project Director.

Trademark Volvo design elements include the V-shaped hood and pronounced shoulders. "We wanted the car to look masculine and confident, but not macho," explains Peter Horbury, Vice President and Chief Designer. Horbury says the functional design, in combination with efficient packaging and transverse engine, allows the XC90 a great degree of flexibility and versatility. Up to seven people can ride in comfort and safety in forward-facing seats.

Volvo says XC90 meets their objectives in terms of both active and passive safety, pointing to its range of technologically advanced new solutions in the area of roll-over protection.

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The problem of vehicle collision compatibility - where the SUV collides with a lower, conventionally-shaped passenger car - was another high priority area for Volvo.

The XC90 will be available with a choice of 5-cylinder and 6-cylinder engines, and in some markets, Volvo's new 5-cylinder diesel engine. All the engines are turbocharged.

Assembly of the new car will start in 2002 at the Torslanda factory in Göteborg on Sweden's west coast, where Volvo Cars is concentrating the production of all its larger models. The North American market is expected to account for about 65 percent of total Volvo XC90 sales.

Greg Wilson is a Vancouver-based automotive journalist and editor of CanadianDriver