First images of the Volvo XC90 released

First images of the Volvo XC90 released

Volvo has given buyers the first glimpse of its new XC90 which will be revealed in full in two weeks time.

Volvo revealed images of the front end of the new XC90 SUV, which is distinguished by its T-shaped running lights, christened "Thor's Hammer" by the design team after the shape of the Norse God's weapon.

Thomas Ingenlath, senior vice president design of Volvo Car Group, said: "Anyone who looks in their rear-view mirror is going to know immediately that there is a new XC90 behind them. The XC90 is a car that has presence on the road."

Volvo has also announced that the new XC90 will offer a range of efficient Drive-E engine options, all of which provide an outstanding combination of performance and fuel-efficiency. There are several levels of turbocharging to cover the spectrum from high power and torque variants to fuel-efficient versions of the range two-litre, four-cylinder diesel and petrol engines.

The new XC90 will be the first car in Volvo's range to be built on the Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) modular chassis technology developed in-house. SPA will allow designers to be more flexible with future Volvo's and improve driving performance.

Dr Peter Mertens senior vice president research and development of Volvo Car Group, added: "SPA and the XC90 are firm evidence of our Volvo-by-Volvo strategy. The XC90's outstanding combination of luxury, space, versatility, efficiency and safety will bring the SUV segment into a new dimension, just as the original XC90 did in 2002.

"SPA gives us a fresh technological start. Around 90 per cent of the components in the all-new XC90 and upcoming models are new and unique. We are raising the bar to the very top of the premium league when it comes to quality and technology level in every vital area."

by: Danielle Bagnall