Stunning Swedish SUV uncovered

This grainy image may look as if it’s been taken through a funhouse
mirror, but it’s no joke – it’s the first peek at the 2010 Volvo XC60!

One of our spies caught this un--disguised version of the firm’s baby SUV cruising around San Francisco in the US, but had to snap it through the windscreen of his own car.

The concept made its debut at the Detroit Motor Show earlier this year. And this production prototype was spied wearing European licence plates and taking part in a video shoot. Our snapper told us: “It looks like a baby XC90 and has a family resemblance to the S80. The rear hatch had an XC60 badge on the lower left side, and the Volvo emblem in the usual place. The front differed from the concept’s, too.”

Due to go on sale in early 2009, the XC60 joins the quirky C30 in the company’s push to appeal to a younger market. Volvos have traditionally valued function over form, but the attractive XC60 is definitely focusing on fun. Bosses believe that buyers who want a Volvo-badged off-roader will make their choice from the upmarket XC90 and XC70. The XC60 will concentrate on providing an outstanding driving experience on tarmac.

The concept used a bioethanol 3.2-litre six-cylinder powerplant, which hints that the firm is planning a ‘flexifuel’ variant – to further increase the range of Volvos that can run on standard un-leaded petrol and E85 biofuel.

Other engines will include the brand’s five and six-cylinder petrol units, plus its D5 diesels. Using the same platform as the V70 and S80, the XC60 has its sights set on BMW’s X3.

Despite Volvo being so focused on its funky, new philosophy, safety remains one of its core values. And to prove the point, it recently released details of a whole range of futuristic technologies which it will introduce over the coming years. And some of them are likely to turn up on the XC60’s options list.

The first to reach dealer forecourts is called City Safety. It’s a system developed to reduce low-speed, rear-end shunts which the manufacturer says are the most common form of traffic collision. Using laser sensors to scan ahead of the car, the set-up automatically applies the brakes if
it calculates the vehicle is about to come into contact with something.

It is designed to eradicate prangs below 10mph, and reduce the sev-
erity of the smash up to 20mph. The system will be introduced next year in time for the XC60’s launch. A similar technology which operates at higher speeds and senses pedestrians, is currently in development.

If its banks of lasers and cameras on board sense an imminent collision, the software will make the car perform a full emergency stop. And soon, Volvos might be steering for you, too. The marque’s autosteer programme has been created to reduce head-on smashes by spotting when a car has drifted towards oncoming traffic. It then guides it safely back into the correct lane. Less sophisticated autobrake technology is already available across the Volvo range, as is adaptive cruise control, plus distance, blind spot and lane departure warnings. And a built-in breathalyser won’t let you start the engine if you’re over the drink-drive limit.

With this raft of new kit and a fresh, youthful ethos, Volvo is embracing the future as never before.