Volvo well on its way to be an “SUV company” – total SUV sales in 2020 at 71%; new models coming soon?

For the first 11 months of 2020, Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson said the automaker’s SUV sales accounted for 71% of its total sales, up from 63% in the same period in 2019. That figure teeters close to Volvo’s earlier estimates where about three quarters of its global sales will comprise of SUVs, so it’s well on track to be an “SUV company.”

The Swedish brand can easily hit the 75% mark with the arrival of new SUV models, such as the entry-level XC10 or XC20. These will likely be premium, full electric SUVs based on the new SEA platform that’s co-developed with Geely.

“With the addition of a smaller SUV, it [total SUV sales] will probably be higher. Maybe it will be three-quarters SUVs in the future,” Samuelsson told Automotive News. “To really have the right cost structure on that we have to share the architecture. We have a possibility to have a really competitive car in that size, also when it comes to profitability,” he added.

At the same time, Volvo is also developing a flagship SUV to rival the BMW X7. Dubbed the XC100 Recharge, the halo model is tipped to be nearly 180 mm longer and 130 mm wider than the existing XC90, but it will only be introduced after the third-generation XC90 arrives. Both SUVs will share the same SPA-II architecture, which is said to be significantly updated from the existing SPA platform.

The SPA-II architecture will be designed to support full electric vehicles, and presently, the XC100 Recharge will apparently be offered as a full electric model. Two motors are expected to be standard, offering electric all-wheel drive and a considerably healthy output. A large underfloor battery pack is a given, although there’s no ballpark figure on its intended range for now.

A dealer from the US who saw the XC100 prototype said the car was “an absolute home run,” while another described it as the “XC90, Range Rover, and Rolls-Royce Cullinan all in one.” The estimated starting price is US$85,000 (RM368k). Who’s ready for this?

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