VOLVO goes with the flow

The rapid development of the XC90 on the S80 platform was marked by use of computational fluid dynamics techniques, which delivered 50% more cooling airflow and drove the development of more advanced methods for future programs.

Increasing competition within the automotive industry has led to a rapid expansion of the different types of vehicles offered to the customer. In 1999, Volvo Car Corp. decided to enter the sport utility vehicle (SUV) market using a car platform as a base to offer ride comfort and crash safety levels of a car, combined with the visibility of an SUV.

For Volvo, it was important that the vehicle be introduced to the market quickly, use as many carry-over components from the parent platform as possible, and use existing production facilities. These decisions led to the choice of the recently launched S80 saloon as the platform, and the manufacturing center to be in the same factory in Gothenburg, Sweden.