It will be joined at the other end of the spectrum by a C40 coupe-UV, too.
Volvo plans to expand its SUV lineup with the uber-luxe flagship XC100 at the top end and a C40 coupe-style SUV targeting millennials. The former vehicle arrives in the second half of 2023 and the latter in the second half of 2021, according to Automotive News. The 2024 Volvo XC100 will take on the Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class and BMW X7, the trade publication said, citing dealership leaks at the recent National Auto Dealers Association convention in Las Vegas.
Based on information provided to AN from U.S. dealers, the Volvo XC100 casts a shadow seven inches longer and nearly five inches wider than that of the XC90. That pushes the new model’s length to 202 inches and width to about 80.5 inches, or less than two inches shorter than the outgoing Cadillac Escalade, and nearly as wide as the new 2021 model (which grows in overall length to 211.9 inches). No surprise, the XC100 reportedly features three rows of seats with space for six or seven bodies.
With it no longer producing six-cylinder engines, Volvo will rely on versions of its 2.0-liter inline-four to power the XC100. Expect a gasoline-electric hybrid option, as Volvo’s committed to selling an electric-only powertrains in the coming years, with the company expecting half of its global sales to consist of electric vehicles by 2025 (hybrids will make up the other half).
Volvo has come a long way since the brand was known as the professors’ car from the 1960s to ’80s, when it was selling middle-priced models in the U.S. at roughly the same MSRP as an Oldsmobile or Mercury. Under the stewardship of Ford Motor Company’s Premier Automotive Group, Volvo was pushed up to a premium level by the turn of the millennium. However, the brand went even further upmarket after it was purchased by Chinese automaker Geely in 2010, with the XC90 SUV leading the renaissance as Volvo’s first all-new model in its post-Ford era.
Despite being one of the costliest Volvos to buy, the XC90 remains the brand’s bestselling vehicle in the United States, with 35,760 sold last year, or more than 5,000 better than the next-bestselling XC60. It also outsold all of Volvo’s sedans combined. The XC100 should have a 10 to 15 percent higher profit margin than the XC90, AutoForecast Solutions analyst Sam Fiorani told Automotive News.
The battery-electric C40 crossover won’t offer the same sort of margins, but it is designed to be a conquest model that targets millennial buyers. Dealers told Automotive News the C40 sports a sloping roofline, updated taillamps, and an EV-inspired grille similar to that of the coming XC40 Recharge.
The 2022 C40 will likely serve as the second Volvo model, after the XC40, sold in North America on the brand’s Compact Modular Architecture Volvo it shares with Geely. It will also likely join the XC40 as an offering through the brand’s Care by Volvo subscription service, which offers a one-price package that includes insurance and wear and tear.
Source:automobilemag