Tall vertical taillights are signature Volvo items as well, although their new designs are totally new and like the front lights, should be welcomed by all. The design cue is unique and bold, while most should also find it quite attractive. A new feature that was previously only used in concepts is the T-shaped set of LED daylight running lights that bisect the headlamp clusters, appropriately dubbed “Thor’s Hammer” by Volvo’s design team. Like so many other premium (and mainstream) brands these days, the new Volvo grille is grand for a more dramatic visual effect. The biggest difference from old to new comes down to size. Anyone familiar with the Swedish brand will recognize its most identifying feature, the upright rectangular grille complete with a chrome sash-like left-to-right upward diagonal slash and “Mars” (or alternatively male sex) symbol-like Volvo badge at centre (a circle with an arrow pointing upward from its 1:30 position). While the new model’s styling couldn’t be anything but a Volvo, critically important for such an iconic brand, only the basic two-box shape of the current XC90 carries over to the upcoming model. The new XC90 is also most important because it’s a clearer example of what we can expect from Volvo’s entire lineup as the company moves into its next phase of redevelopment. Zhejiang Geely Holdings has injected much needed development and production money into the Swedishīrand, and as mentioned we’ve recently been seeing the results, the new 2016 XC90 being the most evident example of a luxury brand back in the saddle and ready to compete. Volvo was once the darling of Ford Motor Company and part of the Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker’s Premier Auto Group (PAG) luxury division, responsible for numerous blue-oval platform architectures (Focus, 500/Taurus/MKS, Freestyle/Taurus X/Flex/MKT, etc.), some of which are still in use within the Ford/Lincoln lineup today, but in order to pull in much-needed funds to finance the development of its core brands, Ford sold Volvo to China’s Zhejiang Geely Holdings in 2010, the last of PAG’s holdings to be jettisoned off after releasing Jaguar and Land Rover to India’s Tata Motors in 2008, and Aston Martin to a consortium comprised of ex-Formula One team principal and founder of Prodrive (Subaru World Rally Team) David Richards, Aston Martin collector John Sinders, and a Kuwaiti firm named Investment Dar and Adeem Investment Co. Those wondering when the next-generation of Volvo’s mid-size seven-passenger ute would arrive and then what it would look like can finally see for themselves as the Swedish luxury brand has now released photos along with a fairly detailed press release of what we can expect under the skin.ĭelving into the details, a bit of a backgrounder is due as to why it’s taken so long to get the new XC90 off the drawing board and onto the street.
Production of the original began in August of 2002, which is a little more than twice as long as most luxury crossover SUVs go without a redesign.
2016 VOLVO CROSSOVER LINEUP PLUS
Volvo has recently been undergoing a metamorphosis with an all-new S60 sport sedan and V60 sport wagon plus relatively strong sales from its XC60 compact crossover, but its once top-selling XC90 has been languishing on the sales charts thanks to 12 years without a major overhaul. Rarely has a new model introduction been more important for any automaker than
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