DETROIT MOTOR SHOW: Volvo S60 Cross Country

UPDATED 3:00pm 9/01/2015: Volvo Car Australia has advised the V60 Cross Country is now confirmed for release in Australia as early as the third quarter of this year, but the S60 Cross Country remains under evaluation.

As if the XC60, XC70, XC90 SUVs and the V40 and V60 Cross Country wagons weren't enough, Volvo has now confirmed it will also apply the Cross Country crossover treatment to its mid-size S60 sedan.

Revealed overnight ahead of its world debut at next week's Detroit motor show, the high-riding S60 Cross Country sedan emerges a couple of months after the global premiere of the V60 Cross Country wagon.

When the latter was revealed at the Los Angeles show, Volvo Car Australia told us it "is certainly a vehicle we are interested in". That hasn't changed, but VCA is yet to advise whether it's as keen about the sedan version seen here.

Chances are it isn't, given the S60 Cross Country is very much a niche model designed to fill a much larger gap in North America, where sedans and crossovers are big business.

As stated, Volvo already has three fully fledged SUVs, one of which will be replaced here by the dramatically more upmarket second-generation XC90 in May, and the V40 Cross Country. The V60 Cross Country seems odds-on, but what VCA really wants is a small XC40 SUV, not a mid-size crossover sedan.

Nevertheless, Volvo says its first Cross Country sedan is a segment buster.

“We want to further explore the market with our Cross Country brand," said Lex Kerssemakers, Senior Vice President Product Strategy and Vehicle Line Management at Volvo Cars.

"We did this back in 1997 with the V70 Cross Country and it led to the birth of a whole new segment. We have included all the capability-driven benefits of the Cross Country brand in this new model, while offering a completely unique expression of adventure and all-road readiness in a distinctly sporty and stylish package."

Like the V60 XC, the S60 XC comes with a 65mm higher ride height than the regular S60 sedan, high-profile 18- or 19-inch alloy wheels and all-wheel drive (although Volvo says it will "also be delivered with front-wheel drive in Europe and selected markets").

Also in common with its wagon sibling, the S60 crossover will be available with a suite of Volvo powertrains, including five-cylinder turbo petrol (T5) and diesel (D4) engines matched to AWD and a front-drive four-cylinder diesel.

Apart from the extra ground clearance, the only other 'crossover' nod appears to be the genre-obligatory matt-grey plastic wheel-arch surrounds and gloss-silver front, side and rear bodywork inserts. 

“The S60 Cross Country is the sole contender in the crossover sedan segment," said Alain Visser, Senior Vice President Sales, Marketing and Customer Service.

"We have identified a clear niche in the market for a more capable sedan with rugged styling cues and a higher stance. The S60 Cross Country will appeal to people that are searching for an exciting and capable sedan, whilst enjoying the clear benefits that a crossover offers."

Volvo says the S60 Cross Country will be available to order in the US, Canada, Russia and Europe by June.