Geneva '08 Preview: Volvo XC60 confirmed in attendance
by Damon Lavrinc on Jan 18th 2008 at 2:33PM 
Click the image above for a high-res gallery of live and studio shots of the Volvo XC60 concept.
Volvo's presence at the Detroit auto show was mysteriously minimal, with only a sparsely populated booth and no scheduled press conference. Instead, the Swedes are turning their attention to Geneva, where Volvo will be showing off the 2009 XC60, a compact CUV aimed at the Acura RDX, BMW X3 and a number of other soft-roaders currently populating the marketplace.
The first round of speculation pegged the XC60's powerplant as the 3.2-liter inline-six pulled from the S80, but according to Inside Line, there is still some debate within Volvo about what will motivate the cute 'ute. A transversely mounted inline-five is one option, but regardless, buyers can opt for either front- or all-wheel-drive.
Sales are expected to begin in late 2008 in Europe, with U.S. buyers getting their hands on the XC60 sometime in early 2009.
[Source: Inside Line]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
FThorn 2:42PM (1/18/2008)
Not a big Volvo fan, but I like what I see of this.
Reply
DIRETTORE 6:45PM (1/22/2008)
Nice. Speaking of Geneva...
* Does anyone know if the ZR-1 & CTS-V will be there?
Thank you all in advance for all your efforts. Cheers!
Gregg 2:54PM (1/18/2008)
Volvos are now taking on a bit of the new Mazda CUV look, as well as the European Ford "kinetic" design. Better than a box, I guess, but let's see some more differentiation in styling genres, or someday soon Ford's European and Japanese arms will begin to look about as different as Mercury and Ford. Of course, with Mercury being taken off life support, there may be room for another division in that role. Ok, I am exaggerating...what fun is it to play nice?
Reply
Ray 3:06PM (1/18/2008)
I can't believe that's a Volvo. Someone in their design department finally woke up?
Reply
Paul M. Watson 4:27PM (1/18/2008)
I reckon the current V50 and S40 are decent looking cars. The interiors are lovely too.
Cajun_Mike 3:59PM (1/18/2008)
Very good looking vehicle. In fact, if the actual vehicle comes close to looking like the concept, it will be the best looking in the segment it competes in.
Hopefully they will make one a bit bigger to compete against the Acura MDX. One that looks like this one.
Reply
Justin 4:23PM (1/18/2008)
Not a bad looking, but the truck-like ride height kills it for me.
Reply
Justin 4:24PM (1/18/2008)
Not a bad looking wagon, but the truck-like ride height kills it for me.
k.w.a 6:31PM (1/18/2008)
the grille and headlights look a little weird, but this isn't nearly as awkward as the x3 or mercedes glk, or boring as the acura rdx or infiniti EX. I think Volvo might be on to something here
Reply
John 6:07AM (1/19/2008)
Very classy looking. Ford should rethink selling off Volvo, this could make them some money.
Reply