Volvo prepares for new, smaller models with the inauguration of the CEVT facility

By Miles Branman August 10, 2015

Volvo C30 hatch — Volvo C30 hatchback pictured Image used with permission by copyright holder

Volvo Cars and its Chinese parent company, Geely, are ready to branch out into new vehicle segments following the opening of the China Euro Vehicle Technology (CEVT) center, a Geely subsidiary, in Sweden.

The CEVT is specifically a research and development facility for C-segment models (compact sedans, hatchbacks, and crossovers). From end-to-end, the CEVT center will be able to develop a vehicle’s architecture, powertrain, transmission, body, and exterior design.

The first task will be to engineer a new platform for global C-segment vehicles, including the successor to the Volvo V40 and the planned XC40 compact crossover. Uniquely, the architecture will be based on the philosophy of ‘common interfaces.’ This modular frame will adjustable by length, width, height, wheelbase, and wheel size.

Additionally, to account for a diverse pricing structure across all the models that will use the new chassis, each module can be built for specific performance characteristics. For example, the front-end module can be adjusted for handling, noise, and vibrations that would be communicated though the front suspension and steering.

CEVT’s adjustable platform will allow for several new models and categories of vehicles and will make it easy for Volvo to add new technology and model variants to the foundational architecture.

Two core pieces of CEVT’s new platform will be a hybrid powertrain with an electric rear axle and a mechanical all-wheel drive system. The first vehicle project will most likely be the V40 successor, which will swap the current Ford EUCD chassis for CEVT’s new modular architecture. New models are still years off, but when they are produced, Volvo will target European and Chinese buyers first before deciding if the North American market is worth pursuing.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Miles Branman doesn't need sustenance; he needs cars. While the gearhead gene wasn't strong in his own family, Miles…

Cars

No mere EV, the sensor-stuffed EX90 is Volvo’s towering tech flagship

Front three quarter view of the 2024 Volvo EX90.

Volvo has reinvented its image over the past decade, taking its cars from stodgy to stylish, and keeping pace with tech developments. Now, it’s trying to do that once again.
The 2024 Volvo EX90 is the Swedish automaker’s new flagship — and it’s electric. This three-row, seven-seat SUV packs all of Volvo’s latest infotainment and safety tech, so its electric powertrain is an important statement of Volvo’s commitment to going all-electric in the future.
The EX90 isn’t a standalone EV. Its styling and tech will set the tone for future Volvos. The business case isn’t EV-specific either. The EX90 has the same form factor as Volvo’s popular XC90 SUV, which it one-ups in tech. Volvo isn’t trying to prove that it can make an EV; it’s already done that with the XC40 Recharge and C40 Recharge. It’s just trying to make a good car.
“There are no gimmicks in the EX90.” Volvo Cars CEO Jim Rowan said in a keynote at the EV’s reveal in Stockholm. “All the technology that’s there is there for a reason.” And boy, is there a lot of it.

Stylish and sustainable
The EX90 is a conventional SUV design with the sharp edges shaved away. There isn’t even a hint of a grille, the door handles sit flush with the bodywork, and the wheels have smooth inserts between the spokes. It’s all to help minimize aerodynamic drag — an important consideration for an EV, as it helps increase range.
The result is a coefficient of drag (Cd) of 0.29, compared to 0.33 for the current Volvo XC90 three-row SUV (lower numbers are better). The EX90 isn’t the slipperiest electric SUV around; the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV has a 0.26 Cd. But Volvo’s designers retained a more traditional SUV shape, in line with the gasoline Volvo XC90, without resorting to the Jell-O mold shape of the Mercedes.
“The profile and a bit of the plan view is a bit rounder than maybe we’ve done in the past,” Volvo exterior design boss T. Jon Mayer told Digital Trends. “It’s not a jellybean blob by any means, but there are very minute details of how much roundness you put around the edges. This detail work, as well as a longer rear overhang, help keep air flowing smoothly around the car while following the minimalist ethos of Scandinavian design, keeping the bodywork visually clean.
The EX90 is a conventional SUV design with the sharp edges shaved away.

Computing

Intel is preparing to launch a beastly new 16-core CPU

Intel Alder Lake mobility chip.

The specifications of the upcoming Intel Alder Lake-HX mobile processors leaked ahead of their release, granting some insight as to what kind of performance we can expect from the new CPUs.

Intel Alder Lake-HX will be the first laptop platform with 16 cores, and it will soon start appearing in some of the best laptops on the market.

Cars

2022 Volvo C40 Recharge first drive review: EV fashion statement

Front three quarter view of the 2022 Volvo C40 Recharge electric car.

Volvo wants to go all-electric by 2030, but so far it’s taking small steps toward that goal.

The C40 Recharge is technically Volvo’s first dedicated electric model, as there won’t be a gasoline version. But the C40 Recharge is closely related to the Volvo XC40, which is available with both gasoline and electric powertrains. It has the same basic platform and powertrain, as well as the same Android-based infotainment system. It even looks mostly the same as the XC40, with the main difference being a sleeker silhouette.