Volvo Still Committed To Sedans and Wagons, Money Be Damned

The Swedish automaker still sees traditional body styles in its future

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Image: William Clavey

When you think of Volvo, the first thing that comes to mind is probably “wagon.” Despite this, its best sellers are all crossovers. It wouldn’t be surprising if the company decided to forgo sedans and wagons altogether — in fact, it would probably be good business. But rejoice! The Swedish brand confirms it will replace its long-standing ‘S’ and ‘V’ models with something new… and they’ll be even prettier.

According to an interview with Autocar, Volvo CEO Håkan Samuelsson said the company will increase its lineup of crossovers, but V and S lines will continue in some form. They will also have actual model names rather than alphanumerics.

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“Yes, the [S and V] lines will be replaced with something even more attractive to consumers,” Samuelsson told Autocar. “We need lower cars with a more conventional body size but maybe a little less square [than before]. These low cars will be in addition to our high-positioned SUVs. Stay tuned.”

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Photo: Volvo
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Another change coming to Volvo’s lineup is the end of the iconic boxy shape most Volvos have. Instead, they’re going to have swoopy, aerodynamic shapes.

“Cars will be less boxy in future, when we need to have lower air resistance,” Samuelsson said. “You could call it coupé-ish. We talk a lot about range in electric cars, but I think we will start looking at energy efficiency, and of course, air resistance will be very central to that.”

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Volvo’s long product cycles mean the S90 sedan and V90 wagon will likely be up for renewal around 2025. By then, Volvo plans to have half of its global sales be electric vehicles. That means their replacements will most likely have EV options. By the same token, the S60 and V60 will have similar fates when their redesign is due.

While continuing down the path of sedans and wagons may not prove to be the most lucrative venture for Volvo, it sure is nice to see at least one company sticking to it’s car-based roots in an ever-growing CUV world.

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Oh, and it sure helps that Volvo’s Chinese owners, Geely, are valued at over $27 billion.