Sunday, April 17, 2011

Volvo Teases Mysterious Concept Universe that Could Preview a Flagship Model


Volvo released a teaser video of its upcoming Concept Universe, without giving out any additional information other than that it's a new design study that will be launched shortly. This means it could debut at one of this month's international auto shows, either in New York (April 22 – May 1) or Shanghai (April 21 – 28). Taking into account the fact that Volvo is owned by China’s Geely, the Shanghai show could be the more probable venue of the two for the new Volvo.

The short video is not very revealing, simply showing the car under a cover and a few design sketches. However, we get a glimpse at a drawing showing a sharp front end a rear end that looks more fastback than sedan.

According to some reports, the Universe concept could preview a future S90 production model, a larger sedan than the company current largest, the S80. The new car could signal Volvo's involvement in the luxury vehicle segment, where it would compete against models like the Mercedes S-Class, BMW 7-Series, Audi A8 or Jaguar XJ. A move like this would seem reasonable given Geely’s plans for Volvo to enter the large sedan segment. Expect more details about the Volvo Universe concept in the following days. Until then, take a look at the teaser video below.

By Dan Mihalascu