You can have a 3rd-row seat on a BMW X5 or Mercedes-Benz GLE. However, the demand for super-sized off-roaders is so high that a new flagship called the 2023 Volvo XC100 is reportedly in the works. Volvo was one of the first European automakers to think of a 3rd-row passenger in an SUV. Read next: All-New Redesign 2023 Volvo XC90 Looks Prestige 2023 Volvo XC100 Rendering The company is building a two-story assembly, one designed like a skateboard chassis for an EV and the other designed entirely differently to accommodate the typical components of an internal combustion engine vehicle.
Volvo Cars are developing the SPA2 platform with a new approach to suit full electrification. SPA2 will produce three types of electric vehicles – mild hybrid electric vehicles (MHEV), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), and battery electric vehicles (BEV). While many companies are investing billions into exclusive platforms for their most advanced BEVs, Volvo Cars are developing the SPA2 to support internal combustion engines. Now, Sweden is there, and they will be taking a radical approach to launching their challenger with an all-electric powertrain option. In a segment long dominated by JLR and Daimler, the BMW Group first tasted the BMW X7 in 2018. Volvo Cars plan to dive into the F segment with the 2023 Volvo XC100, the largest and most luxurious car ever built. The Range Rover, Mercedes GLS, and BMW X7 are full-size European luxury SUVs that customers can choose from, but tough rivals for all three are on the way. SPA2 platform with different floor assembly for the electric variantĪccording to a report from Teknikens Varld, the Volvo XC100 will be based on the SPA2 platform which is assumed to be an evolution of the SPA which debuted on the Mk2 Volvo XC90 in 2014, ready for intensive electrification. The Shanghai electric motor laboratory will focus on pure electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicle motors derived from the SPA2 platform. It should be noted that the company has battery development centers in both countries. In October 2020, Volvo opened a new electric motor laboratory in Shanghai, and vehicle development will be assigned to centers in Gothenburg, Sweden, and Shanghai, China. However, the internal design of the next generation of Volvo EV motors is by no means 100% Swedish development. It can be assumed that the Swedish automaker will opt for an internal design electric motor for the Volvo XC100. Late last year, Volvo announced a major investment to develop electric motors for the next generation of Volvo electric cars. The company has released a teaser in which it shows a large SUV (top view) as part of its mid-decade electric portfolio. This will also apply to the upcoming Volvo XC100 (code name: Volvo V616). Volvo says that the pure electric model will only be available online. The journey to transforming into a fully electric car manufacturer is part of Volvo’s corporate climate plan, which seeks to lower the lifecycle carbon footprint per car through concrete action. By then, Volvo intends to discontinue even hybrids from its global portfolio. Volvo Cars plan to become a fully electric car company by 2030. Read next: All-New 2023 Volvo XC60 Exclusive Review, Price and Release Date.
Read next: All-New Redesign 2023 Volvo XC90 Looks Prestige.2023 Volvo XC100 Platforms & Development.It appears that the XC100 will also feature Volvo’s latest autonomous driving feature, which the brand recently said was fast-tracking.
The SPA-II will be specifically designed to support fully electric vehicles.
US media outlets suggest both the XC Volvo XC100will be built on top of Volvo’s next-generation SPA-II architecture which, as the name suggests, is an update to the manufacturer’s current SPA platform. The vehicles will likely raise the luxury factor, meaning Volvo could have a direct competitor to the Range Rover. A leading media outlet in the United States suggested the new model, to be branded the 2023 Volvo XC100 Recharge, would be an EV and would take styling cues from Polestar’s next XC90 and electric SUV models – specifically the Polestar 3 – which would hit the market with a rumored launch date of the 2023 Volvo XC100 in 2023.ĭesigned to fill a gap in Volvo’s current SUV lineup that would compete with the SUV niche occupied by larger ‘coupe-like’ SUVs, such as the Audi Q8, the Volvo XC100 Recharge is likely to feature sleeker and more manly lines than the XC90 and come with a cabin bespoke that only seats four people comfortably.