Volvo Cars says that its new vehicle engineering architecture – Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) – is the cornerstone of the company’s ongoing USD11bn transformation plan. It will be introduced with the all-new XC90 and then rolled out across the product range in future.
Volvo says the new modular chassis technology liberates Volvo’s engineers and designers and will also change the way Volvo builds cars in the future by allowing a wide range of cars, powertrains, electrical systems and technologies – all of differing complexity – to be fitted on the same architecture, generating significant economies of scale.
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“SPA gives us a fresh technological start. Around 90 per cent of the components in the all-new XC90 and upcoming models are new and unique. We are raising the bar to the very top of the premium league when it comes to quality and technology level in every vital area,” says Dr Dr Peter Mertens, Senior Vice President, Research and Development of Volvo Car Group.
With SPA, previous design limitations in areas such as wheelbase, overhang, vehicle height and the height of the front are removed, the company claims
“This has created greater freedom for us to design cars with a confident stance, dynamic proportions and a number of distinctive design signatures. Our three recent concept cars have demonstrated this capability. Even though the all-new XC90 is an entirely different type of car, you will recognise the connection instantly when it is revealed in two weeks,” says Thomas Ingenlath, Senior Vice President Design of Volvo Car Group.
SPA also allows for more flexibility of design inside the car, it is claimed. On the seating of the new XC90, the sliding function on all seats in the second row can be used to create more legroom for passengers in the third row – or to increase loading capacity.
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By GlobalData“SPA has enabled us to create the world’s first no-compromise SUV,” says Dr Mertens. “You get the agility of a much smaller and lower car, an in-command feel and generous interior space, plus an adrenaline rush delivered by powertrains that offer an unrivalled combination of power and low emissions. Of course, it carries the Volvo badge, meaning world-class safety is standard.”
In addition to the significant product-related advantages of the scalable architecture there are also industrial benefits, Volvo says.
SPA allows Volvo to develop a model range consisting of cars based on the same joint modules and interfaces, scalable systems and components and built in a flexible production system. This means all Volvo models from the 60-cluster upwards can be built on the same production line irrespective of complexity.
Volvo also said that the front end or ‘face’ of the new XC90 SUV is distinguished by its T-shaped running lights, christened ‘Thor’s Hammer’ by the design team after the shape of the hammer used by the Norse god of thunder Thor.
“Anyone who looks in their rear-view mirror is going to know immediately that there is a new XC90 behind them,” says Mr Ingenlath. “The XC90 is a car that has presence on the road.”
