The next Volvo V70 and V50 could be the first in a new generation of estates to scrap the conventional long roof and low driving position higher roofline and driving position.The conventional estate has long been a brand-defining vehicle for the Swedish carmaker, but many senior people within the company are now convinced that it is reaching the end of the line and is in urgent need of reinvention. See Autocar's renderings of the next Volvo V70 and V50Earlier this year Lex Kerssemakers, Volvo’s senior VP for brand, business and product strategy, told Autocar that Volvo had come close to giving the green light to a high-roof V70 design when the current model was signed off for production in 2004/5.The taller roof line of a typical crossover such as the new Volvo XC60 usually results in a more versatile loading bay, while the more upright seating positions allow the XC60 to be a useful 20cm shorter than a V70.The arrival of the Volvo XC60 compact SUV is expected to cut into the sagging demand for the V70, hastening the rethink over replacements for both that car and the Volvo V50.“Within Volvo we are re-examining the estate car and many people are currently scratching their heads,” a senior Volvo manager told Autocar at the recent unveiling of the XC60. “We’d be interested in your opinions.” The trend towards road-orientated ‘crossovers’ (such as the Ford Edge and smaller SUVs such as the Audi Q5) will hit Volvo hard, , especially in the important US market. It has had significant success with the XC70 in the US over the last decade.Volvo’s future model plans for the S60 and XC90 have also been shaken up in the light of significant losses and the axing of thousands of jobs.The S60 replacement is being redesigned, putting its arrival back from early next year to 2010. The ageing Volvo XC90 will not be replaced until 2012, getting a major makeover (including a possible diesel hybrid drivetrain) in 2010.
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Coreanderson23
dollb3229
Re: Volvo reinvents the estate
Does Volvo really need to follow the trend into niche marketing?
Everytime I read a review of the latest Mondeo estate and now the Vauxhall Insignia estate the test concludes they are fantastic family cars. In my view these verdicts are more resounding than those I read for the XC60 and its ilk.
Clearly many prefer an XC60 type vehicle because it is different but it seems to me that comes at the price of handling, ride and more particularly economy.
If Volvo would build an estate as good as the latest Mondeo and inject its brand values into that (along with the 7 seat option it is on the point of ditching) it should have a product that will sell even during an economic downturn. Any other course is a gamble which could be the end of the company.