Volvo’s product plans at present are fairly straightforward. It’s done rolling out all variants of the 90 series, will soon roll out the members of the smaller 40 series, and will then get on with the new 60 series. So what would it need with a name like S50?

That’s the question raised by a trademark application reportedly unearthed by the fanboys at Swedespeed and reported by Motor1.com. And the answers are anything but clear.

The last time Volvo produced a model with the number 50 in its name was the V50 wagon, which was essentially an S40 sedan with a longer roofline. This time around, however, that model is expected to wear the name V40.

The suggestion raised by the S50 would be of a model filling the narrow space between the forthcoming S40 and S60 sedans. That’d be like Mercedes trying to fit a D-Class sedan in between the C-Class and E-Class – at a time when Lexus is said to be merging the ES and GS into one next-generation model and axing the CT: This would all be taking place one size class down, given that the 60 series is set to go up against the C-Class, and the 40 series against the A/CLA/GLA.

Mercedes did, however, bridge the gap between the C-Class and E-Class with the old CLK coupe and convertible, and the prospect of an S50 coupe is one of the possibilities being mooted. But that would more likely wear the name C50 than S50, going by Gothenburg’s precedent.

The answer might very well be found in the Audi and BMW lineups, where the German automakers haven’t slotted sedans, per se, in between their compact and midsize models – but have squeezed in some more svelte models: namely the A5 and 4 Series. Those are primarily coupes, but have in turn bred four-door models as well… albeit more coupe-like ones. If those examples are anything to go by, we could end up seeing an S50 four-door coupe of some sort positioned in between the more conventional S40 and S60 sedans.

More likely, however, is that Gothenburg is just moving to protect the name should it want to use it in the future, and may very well never have need for it. But it’s interesting to think of what could be.

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