Volvo Cars will extend its range of compact cars into new
segments on its highly-innovative Compact Modular Architecture
(CMA), a smaller but equally advanced version of Volvo's acclaimed
Scalable Product Architecture (SPA). The company's first car on CMA
is expected to be launched in 2017.
This means that all future Volvo cars will be built on just two
fully scalable and wholly modular vehicle architectures. The
simultaneous development of SPA and CMA has formed the cornerstone
of Volvo's product renewal and growth strategy, which involves the
replacement of every single car in its line-up in the next four
years, and an annual sales volume of up 800,000 cars. This process
started with the All-New XC90, launched in Australia in August, and
will continue shortly with the launch of the new S90 premium
sedan.
CMA allows Volvo Cars to offer customers of compact cars the
same type of premium engineering benefits as owners of its larger
cars built on SPA. Shared technology between SPA and CMA will
include powertrains (both conventional and new plug-in hybrid
variants) and the infotainment, climate and data network and safety
systems taking the Swedish car maker ever closer to its vision of
no deaths or injuries in its new cars by 2020.
Commenting on the announcement, Kevin McCann, Managing Director
of Volvo Car Australia, said: "The flexibility of CMA liberates
Volvo's engineers and designers, allowing them to devise and
introduce a wide range of new and alluring features whilst at the
same time improving drivability, offering world-class safety
features and connected car technologies."
CMA will also change the way Volvo Cars builds its products in
the future by allowing a wide range of cars, powertrains,
electrical systems and technologies of varying complexity to be
fitted on the same architecture, generating significant economies
of scale and a more streamlined manufacturing process.
Volvo Cars' CMA has been designed from the outset to embrace
electrification - offering a new Twin Engine plug-in hybrid variant
designed especially for the new architecture.
"We are in a terrific position with CMA. We have developed this
new architecture as a plug and play component. This means that on
Volvo's next generation of compact cars you will benefit from the
advanced technologies available on our XC90 today," said Mr
McCann.
Volvo Cars expects to significantly increase its global volumes
with the coming range of CMA-based cars, which will have a truly
global footprint and take the Swedish brand into exciting new
product segments.
"CMA is a key part of the continued growth strategy of the Volvo
Cars brand," said Oliver Peagam, Volvo Car Australia Marketing
Director. "Apart from offering all the benefits and features of a
larger premium car, such as the industry-leading safety, powertrain
and infotainment technologies, CMA will deliver a true and
distinctive Volvo driving and ownership experience setting it apart
from others in this growing premium segment."
About Volvo Car Group
Volvo has been in operation since 1927. Today, Volvo Cars is one of
the most well-known and respected car brands in the world with
sales of 465,866 in 2014 in about 100 countries. Volvo Cars has
been under the ownership of the Zhejiang Geely Holding (Geely
Holding) of China since 2010. It formed part of the Swedish Volvo
Group until 1999, when the company was bought by Ford Motor Company
of the US. In 2010, Volvo Cars was acquired by Geely Holding.
As of December 2014, Volvo Cars had over 26,000 employees
worldwide. Volvo Cars head office, product development, marketing
and administration functions are mainly located in Gothenburg,
Sweden. Volvo Cars
Media inquiries:
Greg Bosnich
Director, PR & Corporate, Volvo Car Australia
T: +61 2 9020 1673
M: +61 419 620995
E: greg.bosnich@volvocars.com