Volvo plans four new models before year-end

The end of 2016 may be edging near, but the last quarter of 2016 will see as many as four launches from the Swedish car manufacturer.

It will start with the S90 sedan that is set to launch on November 4, 2016. A replacement for the ageing S80, the S90 is based on Volvo’s modular SPA platform and will rival luxury sedans such as the BMW 5-series and the Mercedes E-class. It will be powered by the same diesel engine as the XC90 – a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged unit – available in two states of tune, with a hybrid powertrain likely to be added to the line-up later. At launch, the diesel engine will be available only in the 190hp D4 tune with the more powerful twin-turbocharged 235hp D5 iteration to join the line-up next year.

A new variant will be added to XC90, the R-Design. The R-Design variant will be slotted above the entry-level Momentum variant as a sportier alternative to the luxury Inscription variant. While it will be powered by the same 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged diesel unit as the regular XC90, it will feature aesthetic and aero changes such as restyled front and rear bumpers, larger alloys, slightly different wheel arches, twin exhausts and silver roof rails and exterior mirrors.

Volvo will also launch facelifts of the V40 hatchback and the V40 Cross Country. Both facelifts are likely to remain mechanically unchanged, though they will get aesthetic tweaks to the interior and exterior such as redesigned front and rear bumpers, new headlights with the ‘Thor’s Hammer’ LED daytime running lights and a redesigned grille.