Get Ready for the Volvo S90 Sedan

Volvo Concept Estate (Credit: Volvo )

Volvo used to be a pretty dormant car company that would kick out a steady parade of underrated, attractively ugly wagons and sedans. With the Swedes getting a little bit more interesting in just about every way, people are chomping at the bit to know more about the all-new S90 sedan.

The future car has been spotted out and about, but Volvo has used some pretty clever and heavy camo to keep things under wraps, literally. Some of the extra stuff looks like black plastic Swiss cheese. On top of that, the vehicle has been difficult for even seasoned automotive spy photographers to catch out in the wild. Needless to say, Volvo is playing the new model close to the vest.

What we know about the S90 is that it’s on the same architecture as the new XC90. It appears to have similar “Thor’s Hammer” headlights and broad front grille. According to rumors that have been flying around for some time, the car will also incorporate design elements from the Concept Estate, which wowed car enthusiasts around the world.

As the S90 draws closer to being unleashed on the market, the bland S80 prepares to bow out. The new model will likely come with two powertrain options, just like the XC90, giving buyers the choice of going for a twin-charged plug-in hybrid setup. Expect the interior to be similarly upscale and Scandinavian-simple.

While Volvo has set an official release date for the S90, expect that it will break cover sometime in 2015. It will be manufactured in China and then shipped around the world.

Speaking of China, Volvo also recently gained control of the three joint ventures it was a part of in the Asian nation. That means the Swedish automaker owns 50 percent of several vehicle manufacturing and R&D facilities in the country, giving it equal footing in those joint ventures with Chinese auto giant Geely Holdings. The long-term effect could be that Volvo becomes more loaded with cash as it grows more in the largest automotive market in the world. That could mean more new models and better designs for the United States.