Present Volvo XC90 will continue to exist, although it is unclear how long it will continue to be sold and how many markets besides its replacement.
With the new top-of-the-range crossover – possibly called the Embla, if trademark records and reports are correct – offered only with the electric motor, second generation XC90 will be provided with an updated design and possibly technology.
Talk to European Automotive NewsHakan Samuelsson, the automaker’s outgoing CEO, notes that this is the “advantage of building the new facility in Charleston” in South Carolina.
“Why should we close the old factory in Torslanda when you still have a market for hybrid vehicles, especially in the US and China,” he continued.
It is not yet known whether the revised XC90 will be sold in other markets outside of Europe, such as Australia.
Currently, the XC90 is produced at Volvo’s Torslanda plant, just outside Gothenburg, Sweden, and production began in 2015.
A forced-induction four-cylinder petrol engine is the only engine option in the second-generation XC90, but this can be aided by mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid systems.
With the original XC90 still on sale for over 15 years, the current car could last for well over a couple of years.
Indeed, Volvo had previous experience in the production of cars alongside its successor. When it launched the second-generation XC90, the company moved the production equipment of the first-generation model to China.
There, the original crossover was renamed the XC Classic and sold for a year or two for less than its replacement price.
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Recharge concept -
When the XC90’s replacement rolls out later this year, it will be the brand’s first all-electric model and will feature closely related styling through 2021. Recharge concept.
It will also be an important milestone as the brand is aiming to phase out the internal combustion engine entirely globally by 2030. Volvo expects to derive at least half of its sales from electric vehicles by 2025. .
THAN: Everything Volvo XC90
