Work on a new family of baby Volvos is under way following the opening of the new China Euro Vehicle Technology (CEVT) operation in Sweden.
It describes itself as an “engineering and development centre for future C-segment cars, addressing the needs of Volvo Cars and Geely Auto”.
Based in Gothenburg, CEVT is owned by Volvo’s parent company, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group.
The CEO of the new company is Mats Fagerhag, who was the lead engineer for the defunct Phoenix platform, which was intended to underpin a new family of Saabs.
CEVT says the new facility will be capable of engineering a whole vehicle, including the underlying architecture, powertrain and transmission, upper body engineering and exterior design.
This new C-segment architecture will be used for new Geely models - including models that will be sold in Europe - and the replacement for the Volvo V40 and the proposed XC40 compact SUV.
Because these vehicles will span a wide price and content range, the architecture will use an unusual philosophy based around ‘common interfaces’.
The technique was pioneered by truck maker Scania, which was also advising Fagerhag on the technique when he was developing Phoenix.
CEVT calls this technique “modular technology”. Firstly, the base structure will be scalable in its length, width, height, wheelbase and wheel size. Secondly, in order to build cars at widely differing price points, whole modules can be produced to meet “different performance steps”.
For example, a front-end module (which includes the front suspension and steering system) that can be specified with “different performance levels for handling, noise and vibrations” will be developed for the platform.
Another example is the way the new heating and ventilation system will be developed. The new climate control system will be technologically scalable so that it can be produced in manual and automatic versions, with one or several temperature zones as well as having different levels of air quality filters.
The CEVT plan should allow a wide range of model types to be constructed from this modular toolkit. It should also make it quicker andeasier to add new technology to the base architecture, as well as developing new model variants.
According to the jobs currently available at CEVT, a hybrid powertrain will be part of the new architecture, as well as mechanical all-wheel drive.
It seems likely that the hybrid will use an electrified rear axle, a technology that Fagerhag was working on for the Phoenix project.
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Will succeed?
Taking on Ford Focus?
Really? I would've thought Volvo consider themselves as more of a premium maker and would look to take on the likes of BWM, Merc and Audi, rather than a volume maker like Ford!
The Volvo Myth
Not true - nothing about Volvo could be described as "modest", "honest" or "genuine". Their entire image is a fraud. Volvo is a brand built by parading the safety innovations of others, mainly Mercedes. For years, they have passed off features such as the safety cell, crumple zone, airbag, etc as if they were Volvo's own. They weren't - the Germans got there first. The Germans put in the investment and the hard graft. Some years ago, Mercedes ran a wonderful ad campaign which pointed all this out and made a mockery of the Swedes. They should run that ad again, it was brilliant. And Volvo thoroughly deserved it.
Norma Smellons wrote: Aussie
Never heard of it, can you please provide a link or something to this ad campaign, because frankly I smell BS..
Mercedes safety ad
Internet search is a wondrous thing: check youtube reference ylo3yrh228Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylo3yrh228Y
A34 wrote: Citytiger wrote:
So where exactly does this make a mockery of the Swiss/Volvo
[url]https://www.volvoclub.org.uk/volvo_safety_innovations.shtml[/url]
Swiss Volvo
Volvo is Swedish, not Swiss. Look it up, if you like. And whilst this particular film may not be the one I was referring to, it still perfectly highlights the fact that the so-called safety USPs which Volvo has made so much of over the years were actually invented by a different company.
To clarify, "Swedes" makes reference to "Volvo" and not the entire Swedish nation. I am not suggesting that Mercedes Benz made fun of the members of ABBA, for example. I hope you weren't confused by this remark.
@A34