Volvo’s next major product launch will be a new mid-size sedan reviving the automaker’s S90 nameplate. The Swedish automaker this week confirmed the car
will make its debut at the 2016 Detroit Auto Show next January and to help build excitement released a couple of teaser images.
We already know what the S90 will look like, though. Not only do we have our ownspy shots of prototypes but also photos of a scale model that reveal the car’s design in full. That look is reminiscent of the sleek Concept Coupe from the 2013 and includes headlights with Volvo’s new ‘Thor’s Hammer’ daytime running lights plus C-shaped tail lights.
The new sedan should go on sale around next fall, as a 2017 model. It will be the second model to sit on Volvo’s SPA platform found in the XC90, and shortly after its debut Volvo will add a station wagon variant reviving the V90 nameplate. This model has also been revealed in scale model form.
Together with the confirmation of a Detroit debut for the S90, Volvo announced it is entering a partnership with Microsoft to develop new technologies for its cars. Few specifics were mentioned but Volvo did state that one area of collaboration could be in the area of autonomous cars. For example, the two firms are looking to use data generated from connected cars to create new features or services.
Another opportunity is to use Microsoft’s virtual reality headset known as HoloLens. One possibility is using the headset to redefine how customers first encounter and explore a car such as during a showroom presentation. It may also lead to ‘virtual’ showrooms, for instance in shopping malls, where potential buyers view cars via the headset instead of in the metal.
[“source-motorauthority”]