Volvo Has Ambitious Plans for the US Market

Volvo isn’t letting off the gas as it continues its revival plan in the U.S. market.

Motor Trend recently sat down with president and CEO of Volvo Cars USA, Lex Kerssemakers, to get an inside look at what the Chinese-owned Swedish automaker has planned. For starters, Volvo will add the first-ever V90 Cross Country model to its lineup, joining the S60 and V60 Cross Country sedan and wagons. Expect the V90 Cross Country to be introduced early next year, helping fill the gap left behind when the V70 and XC70 got discontinued.

Taking advantage of the booming crossover and SUV segment, Volvo will offer a second-generation XC60 as a 2018 model year. Riding on Volvo’s global Scalable Platform Architecture (SPA), the new XC60 will feature a wider stance and a more efficient design that results in more cargo space and versatility.

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Thinking smaller, Volvo’s 40-Series compact vehicles will head to the U.S. when the next-generation models are ready. Currently, they are slated to go into production in 2017, although they might not head to North American soil until early 2019. Those new vehicles will ride on the new Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) platform and a plethora of powertrain options should be available including gasoline, plug-in hybrids, and pure electric. Don’t expect to see any of Volvo’s diesel engines heading to the U.S. ever, said Kerssemakers.

As for the automaker’s electric vehicle offering, the company plans to launch its first all-electric car in 2019. It’s still unclear what segment Volvo will target with its EV, but it will likely ride on the more-established SPA platform.

For the performance-minded enthusiasts, Volvo is working on Polestar variants of the S90 and V90 with hybrid powertrains that will deliver up to 600 horsepower. The big question remains is whether those models will head to the U.S., as Kerssemakers acknowledged that “it’s expensive to do and there is not a huge market.”

[Source: Motor Trend]

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