Volvo teases the 2015 XC90’s ‘Thor’s Hammer’ DRLs

With just two weeks to go for the SUV’s first public appearance, Volvo has released a teaser of the 2015 XC90, giving us the first glimpse of its ‘Thor’s Hammer’ DRLs. The teaser image previews the angular headlamp of the car along with a small part of its front grille. 

The DRLs get its peculiar name owing to the T-shaped arrangement of LEDs, a design feature influenced by the Swedish manufacturer’s three noteworthy concept cars– the Concept Coupe, Concept XC Coupe and the Concept Estate. Not just the headlamps, but several other design cues of the XC90 are expected to be influenced by these three concept cars. The new XC90 will be an important car for Volvo as it will be the first production car to employ the company’s new design philosophy, which will be used in all of its future cars. 

The new XC90 will be the first production model to be built on Volvo’s new Scalable Product Architecture (SPA). The SPA will give designers the freedom to change the car’s wheelbase, overhangs and other dimensions of the car depending upon its segment as well as platform. The new platform has also helped the car lose a significant amount of weight, which should not only aid the car’s handling and performance, but also improve the car’s efficiency. It will be powered by Volvo’s new Drive-E range of engines from the new Volvo Engine Architecture (VEA).

A growing number of manufacturers are developing new modular platforms which can cater to a variety of segments, and as the name suggests, the SPA has been designed to meet the requirements of cars from multiple segments. Both the SPA and VEA are a part of Volvo’s USD 11 billion (Rs 67,365 crore) plans to modernise the company and bring its ageing line-up up to the mark. While the Volvo cars have always been the benchmark in safety and are priced very competitively, it cannot be denied that the cars have grown long in the teeth both in terms of the platform and technology, though the new XC90 should bring in a crisp wave of innovation.