Volvo to redefine luxury with new XC90

The current Volvo XC90 completes against the likes of the BMW X5 and the Audi Q7 in India; luxury SUVs that retail for around Rs 60 lakh for the entry-level trims. But, come the new generation XC90 and Volvo has clarified that the SUV will move to a higher luxury plane and will be competition to the likes of the S-Class. According to Volvo officials, the new XC90 will redefine how interiors in luxury cars are perceived from materials to layout to design, adding that the XC90 will also be the only car (barring Tesla) to use the Apple’s CarPlay in portrait orientation with the rest going in for landscape.

The 9.3-inch touchscreen has replaced almost all the control buttons from the central console of the new XC90. Everything from stereo to navigation to car settings to trip computer will now be accessed via the tablet like touchscreen. The default mode for the screen, meanwhile, with have climate control take priority. And, like on an iPad, one will be able to pinch, swipe and expand here as well. The instrumentation, as we have seen on the V40 and the new S80, will be an LCD unit and in true XC90 style, the new car will be a genuine seven seater. 

Volvo says that the XC90 will significantly lighter than the car it replaces and will have improved dynamics. The idea, according to Volvo, was to make the new XC90 feel and drive like a smaller car than it is. And for this, it has used aluminium panels for the SUV’s exteriors to cut weight and completely new suspension including the option of air suspension to improve the dynamics. The new XC90 will also come with all wheel drive that will direct torque to the rear wheels as soon as it detects slip on top variants. The engines meanwhile will all be more efficient new generation four cylinder engines with a 2-litre turbo petrol with over 300PS sitting on top of the range.

With a top of the line product like the XC90 due next year, Volvo Cars in India has already begun laying the ground work for its arrival. It has also begun its branding exercise more aggressively in India now. Volvo Cars had been lying low for the past couple of years, but now that its new generation products are seeing the light of day, the likes of the V40 Cross Country and updated XC60 and S60, the company is more focused on being seen. Its tie up with a news network to showcase its XC range - as part of the XC Adventure series – is one such move. 

Besides brand recognition, limited after sales reach has been another limiting factor for Volvo Cars in India. On this front, Volvo will continue to expand dealerships, but unlike Mercedes-Benz and BMW which are looking at smaller markets which will have potential going ahead, Volvo will continue to focus on the markets that are currently doing good numbers. And its pace of network expansion will also be slower than the top three German luxury marques.

The new generation XC90 will make to our shores in the second quarter of 2015.