Volvo announced the name of the model, which was the first joint result of Chinese engineers with Geely and Swedish specialists. At the same time, it was reported that the Volvo brand will now become more affordable and cheaper.
Geely, which owns Volvo, has announced the creation of a technology center in Sweden that will develop new models for both brands. Volvo representatives considered the main task of this center to be the creation of a new platform for golf-class models, but Geely representatives had a completely different opinion on this issue. As a result of negotiations, it was decided to put into production a ready-made SPA platform, which will be taken as the basis for the new Volvo XC90. This car will be the first result of the Sino-Swedish cooperation.
Choosing his “first-born”, one of the main roles was played by the age of the car. For more than 11 years, Volvo has been producing this model, t.to. other cars of this price category “keep” on production lines for no more than 7 years. It is possible that the Volvo XC90 will receive a hybrid version, like its younger brother Volvo XC60.
According to Hakan Samuelson (head of Volvo), the SPA platform will serve as the basis for the new S80 sedan. At the same time, he stressed that Volvo and Geely do not refuse to create a new platform for compact models. Swedish specialists plan to adopt the experience of Mercedes-Benz and BMW, which created a golf-class car. In addition, the leadership of the Chinese Geely intend to use these developments for their own purposes. It is likely that in the near future Geely and Volvo will be produced at a plant in Chengdu (China). However, Geely management emphasized that by creating a new technology center, each company plans to save its audience and its “face”.