Volvo Registers S50 Trademark

Volvo has grabbed the ‘S50’ moniker before anyone else does it. It's unclear if Volvo has a plan to put the new name to use immediately or not. Tesla ran into the naming problem when it found that Ford had already booked the ‘Model E’ name. They instead had to settle for the ‘Model 3’ title.

So here's our best guess: the S50 name will increase the perceived value of the car.

Under the new leadership, Volvo is making significant strides and revamping the entire portfolio starting from the top. After the XC90, the company diverted its attention to the S80 and reworked it completely before launching it as the S90. While the S80 name sounds as if it sits a step below the XC90, the S90 branding makes it look like it's every bit as luxurious as the XC90, but in a different form factor. Wordplay here makes the S90 an entirely new car rather than becoming a replacement for the S80. Reality check: it's both—a replacement for the S80 and a thoroughly overhauled one at that.

Volvo had earlier shown two prototypes of its upcoming cars bearing 40 in their name: 40.1 and 40.2. The 40.1 is expected to be the XC40 SUV while the 40.2 was a beefed up three-box sedan. Volvo could launch the 40.2 as the S50, allowing for a higher position in the family, which could boost its perceived value. SUVs are selling hot while sedans are feeling the heat. The higher positioning of the S50 over the XC40 could bring parity between the desirability of the SUV and the sedan.

The car is rumoured to be previewed in 2018 and go on sale in 2019, so we won’t have to wait too long to find out what Volvo is cooking.

Also Read: Volvo V90 Cross Country: First Drive Review