Volvo has been producing the XC90 since late 2002. At the time, it was the latest and greatest vehicle but after 11 years, the time has come for a new look. Don’t get me wrong. I like the current XC90. In fact, my wife’s daily driver was a 2005 XC90 and we liked it alot. The only problem is that the vehicle looks basically the same as it did in 2003. And most people are looking for something different. So, what does Volvo have up its sleeve?
LeftLaneNews claims that the new XC90 will come out in 2014.
The next-gen XC90 will reportedly be the first vehicle to use Volvo’s all-new Scaleable Platform Architecture, or SPA in short. The SPA platform is similar in concept to Volkswagen’s MQB platform and it was designed to underpin many of Volvo’s upcoming models regardless of size or vehicle type. The S60, the S80 and the XC60 will all ride on the SPA platform when they are renewed. Staying in line with Volvo’s goal to have a more efficient and cleaner lineup, the next XC90 will be powered by a series of downsized gasoline- and diesel-burning four-cylinder engines dubbed Volvo Environmental Architecture (VEA). A plug-in hybrid model that uses a drivetrain co-developed by Volvo and Siemens is also said to be in the works.
The new XC90 will be designed by Peter Horbury (C30) instead of Steve Mattin (new S60/XC60). I don’t know about you, but it took me a while to get used to the new S60. It was quite different than the outgoing S60. With Horbury back in the design studio, things could get a bit curvy again. Notice the curves in the sketch below. Not bad. But will the new XC90 look like that? I don’t really know. But I am looking forward to a new design … as soon as possible!
