Volvo has given dealers an early peek of the next-generation XC90 crossover, their brand’s current volume leader.
“It blew us away,” said one dealer who asked not to be identified. “Volvo is stepping up in the feel and the fit-and-finish of the premium-ness of that vehicle.”
The XC90 accounted for a third of Volvo’s U.S. sales last year, or 35,760 vehicles, up 13 percent from a year earlier.
The redesigned vehicle — expected to arrive in the second half of 2022 and being built at Volvo’s plant in Charleston, S.C. — was shown to dealers at a Las Vegas brand meeting last month.
According to dealers who saw the presentation and asked not to be identified, the redesigned XC90 will have an eye-tracking system to monitor driver attention. Volvo is collaborating with U.S.-based chipmaker Nvidia to develop 360-degree surround perception and a driver-monitoring system to safely introduce fully autonomous cars.
The third-generation XC90 also will debut a new LED headlight that retains Volvo’s signature “Thor’s Hammer” design but sports a new lighting feature that mimics an opening eye, according to the retailers.
“The design provides a sense of movement, as if the vehicle is coming alive,” according to one of the dealers.
The interior of the redesigned XC90 was described as “modern” and “minimalist.”
The XC90’s cockpit will be anchored by a floating 13.5-inch high-resolution screen that will run Android Automotive, Google’s Android-powered infotainment system. The first application of that human-machine interface system will debut on Volvo subsidiary Polestar’s electric fastback this summer.
The gear shifter in the new XC90 was relocated from the center console to the steering column, according to dealers at the presentation. A new steering wheel swaps the typical cluster of buttons for a pair of touchpads.
“The care and the artistic thought-process that went into the design of that car is nothing short of spectacular,” said one of the Volvo retailers. “The interior is done in a high designer fashion.”
