Volvo XC90 the first model built on scalable product architecture

SPA has been under in-house development at Volvo for the past four years and is the cornerstone of the company's ongoing $11bn transformation plan. This revolutionary platform will be introduced on the all-new Volvo XC90 and then rolled out across the Volvo's future product range.

The benefits of SPA are twofold. SPA allows Volvo's engineers and designers a lot more freedom and flexibility, which means they can increase their scope when it comes to new and alluring design features and at the same time improve driveability, introducing world-first safety features, offering the latest connected car technologies and creating more interior space.

"The new Volvo XC90's outstanding combination of luxury, space, versatility, efficiency and safety will bring the SUV segment into a new dimension, just as Volvo's original XC90 did in 2002," says Dr Peter Mertens, senior vice-president of Research and Development at Volvo.

Fresh technological start

Secondly, SPA will change the way Volvo builds cars in future by allowing a wide range of cars, powertrains, electrical systems and technologies - all of differing complexity - to be fitted on the same architecture, generating significant economies of scale.

"SPA gives us a fresh technological start. Around 90% of the components in the Volvo 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 the level of quality and technology in every vital area," says Dr Mertens.

With SPA, previous design limitations in areas such as wheelbase, overhang, vehicle height and the height of the front are a thing of the past.

"This creates greater freedom for us to design cars with a confident stance, dynamic proportions and a number of distinctive design signatures. Our three recent concept cars have demonstrated this capability. Even though the XC90 is an entirely different type of car, you will recognise the connection instantly when it is revealed in two weeks," says Thomas Ingenlath, senior vice-president of Design at Volvo.

Volvo's new SPA chassis technology reduces weight and improves weight distribution, improving driving pleasure without compromising on ride comfort. SPA also allows for far more flexibility inside the car. The XC90 features innovatively designed seats that free up interior space for passengers in the second and third rows, helping make it a genuine and luxurious seven-seater.

More legroom

The sliding function on all seats in the second row can be used to create more legroom for passengers in the third row - or to increase loading capacity. The seats in the third row offer class-leading comfort for passengers up to 170cm tall.

The XC90 offers a range of Drive-E engine options, all of which provide an outstanding combination of performance and fuel-efficiency. This modular family of two-litre, four-cylinder diesel and petrol engines has several levels of turbo charging to cover the whole range from high power and torque variants to fuel-efficient versions.

The top-of-the-range Volvo XC90 T8 'Twin Engine' combines a two-litre, four-cylinder supercharged and turbocharged petrol engine with an electric motor and offers an unrivalled combination of power and clean operation - around 290kW and 630Nm of torque with carbon dioxide emissions of around 60g/km.

SPA is also able to integrate electrification at all levels without intruding on interior space or load space. Other carmakers have struggled to combine the bulk of a battery pack with a luxurious and spacious interior, something that Volvo has managed to overcome with SPA.