The 2016 Volvo S90 is slated to be unveiled at the North American International Auto Show 2016, popularly known as the Detroit Auto Show, a couple of months from now. Nevertheless, images of Volvo's upcoming sedan have already been released by Volvo itself.
Alongside the release of a few renders of the S90 sedan, word has it that the Swedish brand is teaming up with Microsoft to jointly build new car technologies.
Shadowy renders of the car show off the design of the car's rear and profile. Judging from the released images, the car's taillights, roofline and Thor's Hammer headlights match the images of the diecast model of the car which previously emerged and made the rounds online.
Details regarding this vehicle, though, have yet to be revealed.
The S90, which is set to ride on a similar Scalable Product Architecture platform as the 2016 XC90, is expected to supersede its forerunner, the S80.
It is anticipated that the sedan and SUV versions of this car will most likely share powertrains. Volvo may also produce a plug-in hybrid variant of the car, as well as a V90 wagon and a Cross Country model.
Meanwhile, the design for the S90 was exhibited with the use of Microsoft's HoloLens augmented reality headset. The demo was carried out at the company's headquarters in Redmond, where attendees were shown how to explore and inspect cars in augmented reality.
“HoloLens offers the freedom to create a bespoke experience which customers can steer themselves," says Björn Annwall, Volvo's senior vice president for marketing, sales and service. "Imagine using mixed reality to choose the type of car you want — to explore the colors, rims or get a better understanding of the features, services and options available."
In the meantime, Scott Erickson, HoloLens senior director, says the company is happy to collaborate with Volvo in reimagining what's feasible in car design, discovery and purchasing.
"We are excited to be at this intersection of technology and human-centric design with Volvo," he says.
The 2016 Detroit Auto Show will kick off on Jan. 11 next year.
