What's all this about?
Volvo's doing a sodding big estate car, the first since the 940/960 bit the dust in the 1990s, and we rejoice as it appears to have managed to meld both the company's current sleek design with the sort of cargo capacity that will shame anything German - say hello to the V90.
Is this based on the S90 Volvo recently announced?
Well, yes. Of course. It has the Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) chassis, a raft of semi-autonomous driving technology, Apple CarPlay and a T8 Twin Engine hybrid variant, said to have 'around 410hp' and a fully electric range of 31 miles.
Do we know anything else about it at this stage?
Not as yet, so let's go over to Håkan Samuelsson, president and chief executive of Volvo Cars, who said: "We have a very strong position in the estate segment. In many people's minds we are known as the definitive estate brand. While the Volvo brand today stands for more than estates, we are proud to carry forward this rich heritage with the V90."
Anything else you'd like to add?
Yes, the saloon's love 'em or hate 'em rear lights don't make the transition to the V90, so the Volvo wagon should find a wider audience. Thomas Ingenlath, senior VP for design at Volvo Cars, added: "The modern premium estate is all about the intriguing combination of a luxurious experience with the functional origins of the estate silhouette. The sophisticated ambience of our new Volvo interiors is combined with a great cargo space, providing the right kind of functionality - whether through connectivity or cargo and storage solutions."
Matt Robinson - 18 Feb 2016