The new XC90 is quite a big departure from anything the firm has ever done (in a good way) and we already know it shows a sign of things to come. Volvo is keen to have us know that the new SUV is actually the poster vehicle for the company’s “rebirth.”
Automotive News quotes Bodil Eriksson, who is executive vice president for product marketing communications at Volvo Cars of North America and made the idea clear.
He said “We are so confident about this car. It is truly everything we stand for. It is the first of many remodeled Volvo cars. The XC90 is more Volvo than we have had in many years.”
Through this we assume he means the cars they’ve been making in recent years don’t necessarily reflect the company’s philosophy, but that the new XC90 does and so will all models to follow.
Volvo wants us to know that the core pillars behind the way they build cars are still a deeply minimalist approach, ultimate usability (you can operate the car’s touchscreen with gloves, for instance) and an increased reliance on voice control. Oh and their cars’ interiors need to give the impression of “traveling in first class.”
They also want to emphasize the comfort side of the Volvo deal – the fact that they say it took seven years to develop the XC90’s new ergonomic and orthopedic seats is crazy (in a good way, I guess).
Obviously safety is staying a prime concern and in the future it will still be this most important of pillars that will be brought forth, as the brand has vowed to not have a single fatality in any of its cars from 2020 onward.
Hopefully they’ll have some sporty stuff lined up too…
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