Volvo revealed more details on its new Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) platform. The company also gave details of the range of upcoming cars to be manufactured under CMA and announced that its all-electric vehicle will be launched in 2019.
Volvo’s CMA platform was being developed along with its bigger and larger Scalable Product Architecture platform under the aegis of its Chinese parent company, Geely. The CMA and the SPA platforms are expected to underpin the entire range of Volvo vehicles eventually. Both the platforms are intended to modernize the production process and confer technological advantages to the vehicles.
Usage of both these modular platforms would help Volvo streamline the assembling process and getting the economic advantage from economies of scale. The SPA platform has already found its way into the 2016 XC60 crossover and is also expected to be employed in the upcoming V90 wagon and S90 sedan.
Volvo announced that the first CMA-powered vehicles will be launched in 2017. It is rumored that XC40 crossover will be launched before V40 and S40 are manufactured. The CMA platform is designed for compatibility with both all-electric and hybrid drivetrains, just like its bigger sibling, the SPA platform.
The company announced that the first all-electric vehicle will be ready in 2019 and by 2020; it expects a 10th of its sales to be from this segment. The all-electric vehicle is estimated to have a 300-mile driving range per charge and would be mostly likely positioned to take on Tesla’s upcoming model Y.
The company would initially focus on plug-in hybrid vehicles beginning with the 2016 XC90 T8 which will combine two electric motors with a 2L twin charged 314 hp engines. Additionally, the company is making ambitious plans to eliminate injuries and fatalities in its new cars by 2020. Volvo is also committing fully to develop autonomous driving technology and says that it will accept liability if any of its vehicles causes an accident while in the autonomous driving mode.
