SNEAKING in ahead of the launch of Land Rover’s new Discovery, Volvo has moved to steal some of its rival’s thunder with the debut of its own flagship SUV.

The XC90 has proved a popular alternative to the Discovery with families attracted by its seven-seat layout but preferring the look of a traditional estate rather than a conventional off-roader.

The new model, keen to maintain its appeal to buyers, retains its practical interior but with a refreshed exterior design incorporating new powertrain technologies. Volvo – being Volvo – stresses the model’s safety features along with its combination of power and fuel efficiency.

The company boasts the model has been three years in the making and part of an $11bn investment programme.

It claims the model marks the beginning of a new chapter in Volvo’s history, capturing its future design direction, incorporating its own range of new technologies and utilising its new Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) technology – much as Land Rover is doing with its all-aluminium design programme.

“We are not just launching a car, but re-launching our brand,” said Håkan Samuelsson, President and CEO of Volvo Car Group.

“This is a new era for our company. The XC90 paves the way for a portfolio of exciting new cars to come in the following years.”

The recommended retail price for the D5 AWD Momentum is £45,000 and will be available to order at Volvo dealerships in October, following the public reveal at the Paris Motor Show. Customer deliveries are expected to start in May 2015.

The new XC90 will be the first Volvo car to carry the company’s new more prominent iron mark, which has the iconic arrow elegantly aligned with the diagonal slash across the grille.  Together with the T-shaped ‘Thor’s Hammer’ DRL lights, the iron mark introduces an entirely new and distinctive face for Volvo’s forthcoming generation of cars.

The XC90’s larger bonnet with its new topography, the beltline and the sharpened shoulders connecting with the distinctive new rear lights are other important design signatures that will be mirrored across the range.

To add more visual muscle from the sides, the XC90 comes with a range of wheel sizes up to 22 inches.

The move is a bold one and gives the car the appearance of a genuine off-roader rather than the previous, more car-focused design.

Volvo, now owned by Chinese company Geely, may believe the look will appeal to buyers in both the new, emerging markets and its traditional Western strongholds.

Thomas Ingenlath, Senior Vice President Design of Volvo Car Group, summed it up thus: “The overall impression, both exterior and interior, has a strong connection to the key elements of the Swedish lifestyle: the generous space, the celebration of light and the focus on wellbeing.”

Dr Peter Mertens, Senior Vice President, Research and Development of Volvo Car Group, said the new Scalable Product Architecture had enabled the firm to create the world’s first SUV without compromises.

“You get the in-command feel, generous interior space and flexible capability combined with the agility and smooth comfort of a much smaller and lower car. The adrenaline rush that is key to true driving pleasure is delivered by powertrains that offer an unrivalled combination of power and clean operation. And since the XC90 carries the Volvo badge, world-class safety is standard,” he said.

The new XC90 offers a range of two-litre, four-cylinder Drive-E powertrains, all of which Volvo claim, offer an outstanding combination of performance and fuel-efficiency.

The top of the range XC90 Twin Engine, which combines a two-litre, four-cylinder supercharged and turbocharged petrol engine with an electric motor, offers around 400 horsepower with CO2 emissions of around 60 g/km.

The car’s safety features include two world first safety technologies: a run-off road protection package and auto brake at intersection capability.

In a run-off road scenario, the car detects what is happening and the front safety belts are tightened to keep the occupants in position. To help prevent spine injuries, energy-absorbing functionality between the seat and seat frame cushions the vertical forces that can arise when the car encounters a hard landing in the terrain.

The XC90 is also the first car in the world with technology that features automatic braking if the driver turns in front of an oncoming car. This is a common scenario at busy city crossings as well as on roads where the speed limits are higher.

“The new technologies will take us a significant step closer to our vision that no one will be killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo car by 2020,” said Dr Mertens.

“Our starting point on safety is the same today as it was when the company was created almost 90 years ago: real-life situations. We study data. We crunch numbers. We innovate. The result is one of the safest cars ever made.”

“With the XC90, we take the first step towards self-driving cars. A new function that automatically follows the vehicle ahead in stop-and-go traffic will provide a radically simplified, semi-autonomous driving experience,” said Lex Kerssemakers, Senior Vice President, Product Strategy and Vehicle Line Management of Volvo Car Group.

Global release for new Mustang is the perfect fit for Ford

ABOUT as far removed from the XC90 as it is possible to imagine, the first all-new Ford Mustang has rolled off the production line at Ford’s Flat Rock Assembly Plant – the sixth generation of the iconic sports car to take to the roads.

For the first time in its 50-year history, the Mustang is being made available globally to customers in more than 120 countries.

The addition of a right-hand-drive Mustang to Ford’s global vehicle line up will allow the iconic car to be exported to more than 25 right-hand-drive markets around the world, including the UK.

“Mustang is and will continue to be an automotive icon,” said Joe Hinrichs, Ford president of The Americas. “Expanding its availability globally affords our customers around the world the opportunity to have a true first hand Mustang experience – one unlike any other.”

The Ford Mustang iconic status has been underlined by appearances in film, television, music and video games during its 50-year history. The five decades has seen more than 9m of the cars sold around the world.

Ford is hoping the new version will be just as popular.

In the proud tradition of American muscle cars, the new model features a 435hp, 5.0-litre V8 plus an all-new 310hp, 2.3-litre EcoBoost engine that brings state-of-the-art technology to the brand.

And to mark the launch, Ford has teamed up with five top fashion designers to create a series of limited edition T-shirts – the Mustang Unleashed collection.

Each designer has created three different designs to create a 15-strong collection, all available exclusively through Gilt.com from September.

Rolls-Royce hopes new Ghost won’t spook Chinese buyers

KEEN to explore its global potential, Rolls-Royce has unveiled the eagerly anticipated Ghost Series II to the Chinese market.

The Ghost Series II combines Rolls-Royce’s latest technology with its traditional standards of luxury, now much sought-after by China’s aspirational entrepreneurs.

Indeed it is very much with this customer in mind that Rolls-Royce has designed the new car.

Unveiling the Ghost Series II to the Chinese market, Rolls-Royce’ Regional Director for Mainland China Henrik Wilhemsmeyer said: “The Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II is the ultimate entrepreneur’s business tool. Following the worldwide success of its predecessor, I am confident that this re-designed and updated Rolls-Royce will continue to attract increasing numbers of new customers to the marque, in particular business entrepreneurs seeking an oasis of calm in a frenetic business world.”

The new model evolves from its predecessor with re-sculpted LED headlights encircled by daytime running lights, while a tapered ‘wake channel’ on the bonnet, emanating from the Spirit of Ecstasy, is said to evoke the sight of a jet’s vapour trail or the wake of a fast luxury yacht.

“As a design statement, Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II continues to transcend time,” said Giles Taylor, Director of Design for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.  

“This is ensured by the deft treatment of features such as the new headlights, the new wake channel on the bonnet and surfacing that lend the car a more dynamic, purposeful stance and hint at the cutting edge technology inside. I am very pleased with the overall sense of design harmony.”

Inside, the car features a suite of technologies to ensure that the entrepreneur can move seamlessly from the office to his car without any interruption.

The company said the on-board Wi-Fi made the Ghost Series II the most connected, luxurious place in which to conduct business on the move, whilst Satellite Aided Transmission (SAT), debuted in Wraith last year, enhances the car’s dynamism – ensuring the car automatically adapts to its surroundings augmenting the drive experience.

The company said updates to the navigation systems and the car/user interface ensured accessing the Ghost’s features remained an effortless experience, while the optional Bespoke Audio system is said to bring new levels of aural satisfaction to passengers.

In short, Rolls-Royce said the Ghost remained the ultimate choice for successful Chinese entrepreneurs and the calmest place from which to run their successful enterprises on the move.