Spy images of the much-anticipated Volvo S90 luxury sedan – and even a scale model of that car – may have surfaced in recent weeks, but the Swedish company is likely to soldier on with the current flagship Volvo S80 model until early next year.
The Volvo S80 is still available in dealerships, and going off some recent model-year updates, it is now priced at $84,900 plus on-road costs.
That model is sold solely in T6 specification, with a six-cylinder petrol turbocharged engine (producing 224kW/440Nm) teamed to a six-speed automatic and all-wheel drive.
As Volvo has stated, all of its models will now be sold with four-cylinder engines, and if the new S90 follows the same path as the XC90 large SUV, buyers can expect a 2.0-litre turbo diesel, a 2.0-litre turbocharged and supercharged petrol, and a plug-in hybrid petrol model.
The aim with the successor to the S80, the S90, will be clear: more sales.
According to European industry journal Automotive News, the S80 managed just 12,500 sales in 2014, where its rival, the BMW 5 Series, accounted for more than 370,000.
In Australia in 2014, Volvo sold just 15 examples of the S80, but in 2015 so far there have been 21 vehicles sold.
A Volvo Australia source has told CarAdvice that there will be no more S80 models ordered locally, unless a customer requests a specific order.
