Swedish brand wants ‘spice’ in its portfolio but don’t expect a reborn P1800 drop-top just yet
Volvo wants to add some sizzle to its model range and what better way than with a new sports car?
Speaking to carsales in Sweden this week, Volvo Car’s chief operating officer Bjorn Annwall said a new flagship performance model like the reborn 2021 Volvo P1800 Cyan electric coupe was important to the Geely-owned Scandinavian brand,
“Every car brand needs a bit of spice that helps kind of push the boundaries of what the car really is, and I think Volvo should have those complimentary car products as well,” he stated.
It’s not surprising the European luxury car maker is considering a new hero model, but exactly what form such a vehicle could take – whether it’s a scorching version of an existing model or a bespoke coupe – and when it will emerge is still unclear.
However, Volvo’s global COO noted that SUVs were the company’s priority at the moment, saying “…that’s where we really focus our design efforts” and refusing to rule out a high-performance halo car in the near future.
Annwall wouldn’t be drawn on whether a two-door sports car was under consideration, or if the brand would leverage the Porsche 911-hunting $300,000 Polestar 6 roadster due from its EV sister brand in 2026 – or whether Volvo’s new high-performance hero car will be something else entirely, such a coupe-style SUV.
The last proper two-door sports car to wear a Volvo badge was the C70, which was available as a coupe or a cabriolet. The front-wheel drive specialty model was manufactured between 1996 and 2013 and was touted as one of the safest performance cars on the market at the time.
However, like the rest of the auto industry, Volvo’s focus is currently on SUVs (specifically electric SUVs) as it gets set to offer an all-EV model range by 2030.
The European car-maker is beginning the process of renewing its entire portfolio with EVs, and the first example will be the new Volvo EX90 large seven-seat SUV.
Orjan Sterner, Volvo’s exterior design manager, said there was a desire within the company to build an exotic and dramatic vehicle, but that profit-making vehicles were the focus for now.
“As a car designer we always like to do fun stuff like a coupe or a super sports car because it’s fun, it’s always fun,” he said. “But as a company you make products that people want and has a business case.”
It’s understood that if Volvo pulled the trigger on a new-generation performance flagship, it would be unlikely to materialise until late this decade or in the early 2030s, when the EX30, EX40, EX60, EX70 and EX90 electric SUV range was fully fleshed out.
“Every project is a new challenge and a new possibility to do fun stuff,” he said.
“Everything is possible, I would say. It depends where the market goes and what the customer wants,” he said in response to the idea of the Volvo coupe.
Asked if he was bored with SUVs, Sterner told carsales the new EX90 he designed is “…actually the first SUV I’ve worked on”.
His previous car designs were wagons and sedans which, ironically, may be phased out towards the middle of the decade.
Annwall observed that every new Volvo vehicle will have a “…minimalistic, understated design” and will be “very human-centric and user-friendly”, but he cautioned that Volvo’s core audience demand practicality.
So will there or won’t there be a new Volvo sports car?
“Stay tuned,” he grinned.
Digital images: zumalakarregui, Rain Prisk
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Keyword: Volvo mulling new electric sports car