The all new XC90 SUV is part of Volvo’s drive for “more attractive cars” to close the sales gap with BMW, Volkswagen Group’s Audi division and Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz, the three biggest premium automakers, CEO Hakan Samuelsson says. This new premium SUV is crucial because it is Volvo’s first complete model under the ownership of Chinese billionaire Li Shufu’s Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co. It uses an all-new platform and is the first model with no components from former owner Ford Motor Co.
“There is no second chance, of course. This has to work. We’re confident it will,” the CEO said in a recent Aug. 15 interview at the carmaker’s headquarters in Gothenburg’s Torslanda district. The second-generation XC90, which replaces a version built since 2002, is a key part of Volvo’s USD11 billion project to produce a broad range of models on a new platform offering a selection of electric-power variants and safety components. The XC90 is scheduled for its first public presentation on Aug. 26 and enters Malaysian showrooms next year.
