Concept Recharge will get proper name for production
Next-gen EV models will use words, not letters and numbers
Volvo has been using numeric, then alphanumeric, names for its vehicles for decades. With a few notable exceptions, models like the P1800, 240, and XC90 have been the automaker’s bread and butter for generations. With the next-generation electric flagship from the automaker, expected next year, that is going to change.
“This car will have a name, more like a [newborn] child,” Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson said at a presentation last week.
The CEO wanted a new name for the crossover that will change so much for the automaker. It will be on a new platform, sold only online, offer standard LiDAR for safety, and may offer autonomous driving when permitted.
“Calling that just a new XC90 would be wrong because this is really a first of its kind,” Samuelsson told Automotive News Europe.
We’re not sure what Volvo Cars is planning to use for its new name. There are a few proper names in the back catalogue, like Carioca (1935-1938), Duett (1953-1969), and Amazon (1956-1970). Actually, that’s it. Those are the only three official wordmark names the automaker has used.
Samuelsson said we won’t find out the new name until next year, when the production version of the crossover is revealed. Deliveries will start the following year. AN reports that Samuelsson said the new naming will be extended to Volvo’s new wave of EVs that are on its second-generation scalable platform as well as a small EV crossover planned for a shared platform with parent Geely.
This means there will not be a third-generation XC90, though the current model may see updates before retirement.
