GOTHENBURG, Sweden -- Volvo, best known for SUVs and station wagons, is taking aim at the premium large sedan market with the new S90.
The Swedish brand released images and details of the new flagship sedan at a press event here today.
"With the launch of the XC90 we made a clear statement of intent. We are now clearly and firmly in the game," Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson said in a statement. "With $11 billion of investment over the past five years we have not only reimagined what Volvo Cars can be -- we are now delivering on our promise of a resurgent and relevant Volvo Cars brand."
The S90 will compete against premium sport sedans such as the BMW 5 series and Mercedes-Benz E class.
The sedan is loaded with high-end equipment. Volvo says the S90's City Safety collision avoidance system has been upgraded to offer a world-first function: large animal detection. The feature can recognize an elk or moose, day or night, and provide brake support to avoid a crash.
The sedan also offers semi-autonomous driving technology that gives steering assistance to keep the car in its lane at speeds up to 81 mph (130 kph) even if there is no car in front.
The S90 will also be offered with a plug-in hybrid drivetrain.
The S90 replaces the slow-selling S80 as Volvo’s flagship sedan and it will have a public debut at the Detroit auto show in January.
The S80's U.S. sales rose 2.2 percent through November to 1,711 vehicles while Volvo as a whole saw U.S. sales surge 18 percent over the 11 months to 60,705 vehicles.
Volvo styling chief Thomas Ingenlath said in the statement that the S90's design aims to "exude leadership and confidence" and to bring something new to a "rather conservative segment."
Production of the S90 will being in spring 2016, a Volvo spokesman said. The company will start taking orders for the car in select markets shortly after its Detroit debut. The spokesman declined to name the markets.
U.S., China sales
The majority of the S90's sales -- an estimated 80 percent -- will be new customers largely because the S80 was not a big seller, Volvo head of sales and marketing Bjorn Annwall told Automotive News Europe on the sidelines of the event.
When asked where the sedan will sell most units, Annwall said, "Clearly we expect the U.S and China to be the biggest markets for the car."
Volvo has run clinics in both countries to get consumer feedback. Annwall said car buyers in both markets appreciated the S90’s fit and finish while U.S. customers really liked that the car can nearly drive itself on the highway.
The S90 is the second model to be based on Volvo’s in-house developed Scalable Product Architecture. The first was the XC90, which last month helped Volvo achieve global sales of 49,055 vehicles, the highest monthly total in the automaker’s 88-year history.