Volvo planning Ford Focus challengers

Volvo and parent company Geely now at work on new models

Volvo and Geely plan new models

14 October 2015

A recently opened China Euro Vehicle Technology (CEVT) centre in Sweden has started work on a new generation of baby Volvos. It is likely to be at least two and a half years, however, before we see them in our showrooms.

CEVT, a development operation for C-segment cars, is based in Gothenburg and owned by Volvo’s parent, the Zhejiang Geely Holding Group. Its CEO is Mats Fagerhag, the former lead engineer behind the defunct Phoenix platform, which was intended to underpin a new family of Saab models.

According to CEVT, the facility will be able to engineer entire vehicles, including the core architecture, powertrain and transmission, upper body and exterior design.

This new C-segment architecture will be used for Geely models – including those for sale in Europe – along with a replacement for the Volvo V40 and the proposed XC40.

These vehicles cover a broad spectrum of pricing and content, so they will use what is described as ‘common interfaces’ architecture. This was pioneered by the truck manufacturer Scania who also advised Fagerhag on the approach while he was working on the Phoenix platform.

At CEVT, the technique is being called ‘modular technology’. Highly flexible and ‘scalable’, it should allow for the construction of a wide range of models while also making it quicker and easier to easier to add new technology to the base architecture.

According to the jobs listings at CEVT, a hybrid powertrain is planned along with mechanical all-wheel drive.

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