The new Volvo S90, the Swedish company’s flagship luxury sedan, will be making its way to South Africa. Due to be launched towards the end of 2016, the new Volvo S90 sets new benchmarks in comfort, luxury, technology, design, efficiency and semi-autonomous driving.
The new Volvo S90, which is built on the company’s ground-breaking Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) platform, builds on the strengths of the all-new XC90 and reimagines them for the large sedan segment. Absolute Swedish luxury – from the svelte and understated exterior design to the ultimately-comfortable interior – is the overriding S90 theme, matched by Volvo’s latest efficient powertrains and semi-autonomous driving technology.
“After the all-new XC90 made an absolutely enormous impact across the globe – including winning the 2016 WesBank/ SAGMJ Car of the Year title here at home – the new S90 is a continuation of Volvo’s renaissance in South Africa and around the world,” says Greg Maruszewski, Managing Director at Volvo Car South Africa.
“The new face of Volvo takes on a sleek, post-modern approach in this large sedan, cementing it as a stand-out player in a tough luxury segment. We believe that the new S90 offers a genuinely good, value-packed alternative to segment stalwarts, and we are keen to express our new Swedish luxury to this market in South Africa.”
Launching initially in 2016 with D5 AWD and T6 AWD derivatives with Momentum or Inscription trim, the full S90 range will be made available in South Africa. In 2017, D4 FWD, T5 FWD and R-Design variants will be introduced, with the T8 Twin Engine to follow at a later stage.
“The S90 has taken a big stride forwards in terms of driving dynamics, performance and ride. We have completely redesigned the Volvo driving experience from the ground up to deliver a sense of precision, engaging control and comfort,” says Dr Peter Mertens, Senior Vice President, Research & Development at Volvo Car Group.
The comprehensive range, which echoes that of the XC90 in South Africa, brings ultimately efficient and powerful Drive-E engines to the fore, with the range-topping T8 Twin Engine (300 kW and 640 Nm) emitting just 44 g/km of carbon dioxide, while still being able to propel the S90 to 100 km/h from standstill in just 5.2 seconds. The updated D5 twin-turbo diesel engine, featuring new PowerPulse technology, is included in the range – with its unique compressed air solution to low-rpm turbo lag.
Naturally, Volvo’s safety arsenal is fitted as standard, with the inclusion of the latest Large Animal Detection and Run-Off-Road mitigation complementing the existing comprehensive IntelliSafe technology, which incorporates Volvo’s autonomous emergency braking system, City Safety.
Semi-autonomous driving included as standard
Fitted as standard to all S90 models, the latest version of Volvo’s Pilot Assist semi-autonomous technology is now able to run up to 130 km/h with clear lane markings and without the need for a lead car. Pilot Assist is a support system optimised for highway driving, which allows the driver to relax behind the wheel and enjoy the journey.
With fully-autonomous Volvo cars making their way to real owners in Sweden, China and the UK over the next few years, the latest version of Pilot Assist is a step closer to a new driving world.
In South Africa, the new Volvo S90 is set to reintroduce the Volvo brand to the large executive sedan segment – bringing Swedish luxury to an elite set of customers. Indicative pricing, which will be finalised closer to the time of launch, sees the comprehensive range being positioned between the mid-R600 000 mark and R900 000.