Volvo reveals three-seat S90 Excellence limo

Volvo has revealed a new long-wheelbase version of its S90 that it hopes will steal sales from its German rivals like the Audi A8 and the Mercedes S-Class.

Called the S90 L, the China-only model is 120mm longer than the regular S90 and has been designed exclusively for wealthy Chinese customers who have chauffeurs.

Unusually, this explains why the S90 L Excellence edition has had its front passenger seat deleted. In its place is, bizarrely, a place to store shoes, a foot rest and a large infotainment system to entertain the two rear occupants.

The Excellence also comes with a panoramic roof, foldout tables and heated and cooled cup holders.

Upfront, meanwhile, the driver will benefit from the S90's Pilot Assist semi-autonomous cruise control that works up to speeds of 130km/h.

There's also Volvo's Large Animal Detection system to give all occupants added protection if the driver doesn't spot a larger cow or horse wandering into the luxury limo's path.

Another valuable addition to the S90 long list of standard equipment is the Swedish car-maker's CleanZone air filtration system that filters out toxic pollutants from the air before they enter the cabin and can even cope with Beijing's notoriously bad smog.

On sale this month, the S90 L is available with either the 140kW T4, 187kW/350Nm T5 petrol turbo, or the 300kW/640Nm range-topping T8 plug-in hybrid that has a 50km pure-electric range.

The luxurious S90 Excellence will be on sale early 2017.

As detailed in our coverage of the Aussie release of the XC90 Excellence, Volvo is shifting S90 production to China. The S90 L and S90 Excellence will be built at the brand's production facility in Daqing, China and in the future, the Swedish car-maker hopes to export the long-wheelbase version of the S90 to other global markets.