Volvo's four future locked in

Volvo is betting its Swedish farm on its decision to pursue its future as four cylinders and no more. And, with the arrival of the new Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) modular medium to large car and SUV chassis and the imminent reveal of its new small car equivalent (dubbed CMA) it can’t go back on the decision even if it wants to.

Speaking to motoring.com.au at the launch of the all-new XC90 in Stockholm overnight, Volvo Car Group product strategy and vehicle line boss, Lex Kerssemakers, was unequivocal when quizzed on the ability to review or revisit the 'four and no more' position.

"Never say never, but [for more than four cylinders] you'll have to wait for the next platform. It does not fit," he stated adamantly.

"We immediately took the effect of not having an east-west [transverse] six-cylinder [in the design of SPA]. We immediately took those centimetres and squeezed in the side members to use the space to improve our turning circle.

"We kept enough space for an electrical motor and the gearbox for mild hybrids and that sort of stuff… But six or even five cylinders will not fit," Kerssemakers explained.

Kerssemakers is a key architect of the company's decision to pursue combinations of high-tech four-cylinder engines with gradually increasing electrification. It’s no coincidence the top-performing XC90 model, the T8 'Twin Engine', arrives as a plug-in hybrid.

He says Volvo will continue to evolve its new driveline concept and the SPA architecture itself.

"You won't have to wait another 12 years," he stated with reference to the almost unprecedented model life span of the outgoing vehicle.

"This platform is so modern that it’s [simply] a matter of a new top-hat. It will need upgrades but we're not looking for a new platform [for two or three generations]," Kerssemakers explained.

SPA will underpin the 60 and 90 vehicle lines for Volvo. A new cheaper and smaller platform dubbed CMA will be used for the V40 and its attendant derivatives.

Kerssemakers confirmed Volvo will renew and expand its 40, 60 and 90 families, including the launch of an XC40 by the end of 2018. On a graphic displayed during the XC90 launch presentation Volvo mapped out nine models: V, S and XC in each family. No 70 line was indicated.

"Electrification will increase. We strongly believe in plug-in hybrids so this [SPA] platform facilitates those," Kerssemakers stated.

Although this will include bigger and better battery electric installations, it will also include new technology. Kerssemakers' fellow Volvo exec and head of R&D, Peter Mertens, revealed to motoring.com.au that SPA-platformed cars could also include a production version of the company's flywheel-style Kinetic Energy Recovery System in as little as three years.

Kerssemakers says 'fours and no more' also allows Volvo to change the global power train conversation.

"We would have been in a very compromising situation as the company and as the brand we are if we would have concentrated on six cylinders," he stated.

"We had to make up our mind. We wanted to make a statement: 'Okay, Volvo stands for something'."