Volvo would like to have a large coupe, but project is “on hold”

Anders Gunnarson, Volvo's design manager for exteriors, told AutoExpress that "we very much want to build the Concept Coupe". While a production version of the large coupe could be a "good image changer", like the original C70 was in the late 1990s, any plans are currently "on hold".

According to Gunnarson, the company is currently focussing "100 per cent" on the launch of the XC90 SUV (below). The second-generation XC90, which was unveiled earlier this year at the Paris motor show, is the first model to be based on the brand's Scalable Product Architecture (SPA), which is said to have cost Chinese parent Geely around $12 billion to develop.

The XC90 will directly spawn traditional sedan and wagon variants, likely to be dubbed S90 and V90, respectively. The SPA will also underpin Volvo's next-generation S60 sedan, V60 wagon and XC60 SUV. Earlier reports indicate that a replacement for the V40, as well as a new S40 sedan and XC40 SUV, will be based on a platform shared with Geely.

To go along with the new flexible vehicle platform, Volvo has also invested in a range of new three- and four-cylinder engines augmented by turbocharging and, in some instances, plug-in hybrid technology.