PARIS MOTOR SHOW: Volvo teases XC90

Here is the first official exterior image of Volvo's second-generation XC90, which the Swedish brand continues to preview ahead of its global public premiere at the Paris motor show on October 2.

The single teaser shot reveals the new T-shaped LED daytime running lights – dubbed 'Thor's Hammer' after the Norse god of thunder – that will dominate the radical new headlight design of the next XC90, which will also wear the new vertical-bar grille design also revealed here.

“Anyone who looks in their rear-view mirror is going to know immediately that there is an all-new XC90 behind them,” said Volvo's senior vice president of design Thomas Ingenlath. “The XC90 is a car that has presence on the road.”

No new technical information has been announced for Volvo's new seven-seat SUV flagship, which will be revealed to media in Sweden on August 26 before going on sale in Australia by May next year.

However, Volvo has previously revealed images of the car's all-new 'button-free' dashboard dominated by a large central touch-screen, and a new range of 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol and diesel Drive-E engines.

There will also be a new range-topping four-cylinder hybrid 'Twin Engine', which combines turbocharging, supercharging and an electric motor to deliver 298kW of peak power and CO2 emissions of just 60g/km.

It has also announced "the most comprehensive and technologically sophisticated standard safety package available in the automotive industry" for the XC90, which will be fitted as standard with new world-first 'run-off road protection' and 'autobrake at intersections' systems.

Other features will include pre-crash protection in rear impacts (via rear-facing radars), rollover prevention/protection, blind-spot detection, auto-braking functionality, adaptive cruise control with steering assistance, and even night-time pedestrian and animal detection systems.

The large SUV will also be able to reverse and parallel park itself, as well being easier to park, thanks to 360-degree camera views, proximity parking sensors and a reversing camera.

The all-new Swedish crossover will be the first model based on Volvo's new Scalable Product Architecture (SPA), a modular vehicle platform that has been under in-house development for the past four years and is the cornerstone of the company’s ongoing $US11 billion transformation plan.

Volvo says SPA will allow its designers and engineers to develop a range of models with improved driveability, safety, space efficiency and connectivity, while fitting the same architecture with a range of powertrains, electrical systems and technologies, thus generating significant economies of scale.

“SPA and the XC90 are firm evidence of our Volvo-by-Volvo strategy,” said Dr Peter Mertens, Senior Vice President, Research and Development of Volvo Car Group.

“The XC90’s outstanding combination of luxury, space, versatility, efficiency and safety will bring the SUV segment into a new dimension, just as the original XC90 did in 2002.

“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.

According to Volvo, SPA – the Scandinavian equivalent of Volkswagen's MQB, BMW's UKL and Mercedes' MFA platforms – no longer limits the wheelbase, overhang, vehicle height and front-end height, as with previous platforms.

“This has created greater freedom for us to design cars with a confident stance, dynamic proportions and a number of distinctive design signatures,” said Ingenlath.

“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.”

Apart from reducing weight and improving weight distribution and driving pleasure without compromising ride comfort, Volvo says SPA technology allows for far more flexibility inside the car, helping make the XC90 "a genuine seven-seater" with third-row seats that offer "class-leading comfort for passengers up to 170cm tall".

“SPA has enabled us to create the world’s first no-compromise SUV,” said 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.”