There are only two weeks left until the Stockholm preview of the all-new Volvo XC90 SUV, the brand’s first vehicle to be built on the Scalable Product Architecture (SPA).
On this occasion, Volvo has released details about the modular chassis technology developed in-house, as well as the first exterior photo of the SUV, which reveals a part of the front end including the headlight and a portion of the grille.
The design of the LED daytime running lights is similar to the one seen on Volvo’s latest concept cars: the Concept Estate, Concept XC Coupe and Concept Coupe. The T-shaped running lights have been christened “Thor’s Hammer” by the design team after the shape of the hammer used by the famous Norse god of thunder Thor. The grille appears to be much bigger than the current XC90’s, with another significant detail being the sculpted hood.
Volvo says SPA has been under development for the past four years and is the cornerstone of the company’s ongoing $11billion (€8.2 billion) transformation plan. Following the introduction of the XC90, the platform will be rolled out across Volvo’s product range in the future.
According to the Swedes, the modular platform has two main advantages. First of all, its flexibility liberates Volvo’s engineers and designers, allowing them to come up with a wide range of new design features, and improves drivability by introducing safety features, connected car technologies and creating more interior space. For instance, the new XC90 will feature three rows of seats for up to 7 passengers, with the seats in the third row being usable by passengers up to 170 cm tall.
Secondly, SPA allows a wide range of cars, powertrains, electrical systems and technologies to be fitted on the same architecture, helping Volvo achieve significant economies of scale.
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