Volvo confirms S90 debut in Detroit

Volvo has announced that its S90 sedan will be unveiled to the world in January, at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

The announcement was buried in a press release issued at the end of last week and accompanied by two teaser pics that weren't even carried on Volvo's local media portal. Perhaps this indicates that the S90 has entered a 'meta-leak' phase of its development.

It's beyond the point where there's value to be gained teasing the public with fuzzy images of the car when it has already been seen in spy pics, and as a rendering – and even as a scale model on enthusiast website CarnewsChina.com.

For Volvo, the take-out from the press release was its nascent partnership with Microsoft for a new technology – HoloLens. The so-called "world's first fully untethered holographic computer" was demonstrated to journalists at Microsoft's Redmond headquarters last week, in a showcase of the new S90, demonstrating how marketing, sales and production might proceed in the future.

Of more importance to lay persons and consumers, can HoloLens make it into the cockpit?

Companies like Jaguar Land Rover are already playing around with ways to improve situational awareness, but Volvo's commitment to autonomous motoring may make obsolete holographic VR (virtual reality) and other similar systems. That's probably why the manufacturer is soft-peddling HoloLens as little more than a tool to work out the colours and trims for your next car.

"HoloLens offers the freedom to create a bespoke experience which customers can steer themselves. Imagine using mixed reality to choose the type of car you want – to explore the colours and wheels, or get a better understanding of the features, services and options available," said Björn Annwall, Senior Vice President, Marketing Sales and Service at Volvo Cars.

Everything quoted in the press release hints that holographic VR has no real place in the car as a driving aid, but Volvo and Microsoft clearly do see its potential in R&D.

"We are thrilled to be working with Volvo Cars to reimagine what is possible in car design, discovery and purchasing," said Scott Erickson, Senior Director, Microsoft HoloLens at Microsoft Corp. "We are excited to be at this intersection of technology and human-centric design with Volvo."

According to Volvo, the demonstration is a precursor to other advances the manufacturer expects to make in collaboration with Microsoft.

"We are extremely happy to innovate with Microsoft in the field of future mobility," said Klas Bendrik, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Volvo Cars. "Today's technology will allow us to achieve not only a more sustainable and crash-free future but also new benefits for our customers and society. Together with Microsoft we aim to pioneer in this field."

What those benefits will be remain unclear.