The Volvo XC90 Excellence (pictured) gets its European debut in Geneva
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The Volvo XC90 Excellence – a range-topping, ultra luxury, four-seat XC90 – gets a European debut in Geneva. But will the UK get it?
Clearly, Volvo see the XC90 as real competition in the world of chauffeur driven cars for the stuff we’re more used to seeing ferrying around the wealthier – like the Mercedes S-Class and Range Rover – and the masses of space rear-seat passengers have thanks to the four-seat configuration, and the range of luxury baubles Volvo has added, make it hard to argue it’s not.
The extra goodies include stuff like reclining, heated, cooled and massaging back seats, retractable touchscreens, bottle holders and Swedish Crystal glasses, footrests, unique leather, upgraded Bowers and Wilkins sound and a dividing screen for the luggage area. It also comes with Volvo’s T8 Twin Engine Plug-in Hybrid powertrain.
Volvo has already started selling the Excellence on-line in selected markets like Switzerland, France, Belgium and Luxembourg, and China will soon be added to the list.
Volvo also confirms that Volvo dealers will be able to sell the XC90 Excellence from later in 2016, and that the US is one of the global markets where it will be available. But what about the UK?
When the Excellence was first revealed, Volvo UK were making it clear they had no plans to bring the Excellence to the UK in RHD guise, and that doesn’t appear to have changed.
It seems Volvo UK consider the XC90 to be the ultimate family car (and they’re not wrong), and that offering the luxury XC90 Excellence would confuse their UK marketing message. Which is a shame.
Let’s hope, for the sake of all those who spend their lives in the back of a chauffeur-driven car, that Volvo UK has a change of heart, especially as the T8 offers such great BIK benefits.
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