XC90

Make
Volvo
Segment
SUV

Some automakers like to name their cars after animals or places; think Ford Mustang or Kia Telluride. Others go for an alphanumeric name that fits within a portfolio of vehicles, like BMW M3 or Lexus LC 500. There's no right or wrong way to name a car, but it's rare to see an automaker move from one naming convention to the other. According to Automotive News though, Volvo may do just that.

With only a few exceptions, such as Amazon and Duett, pretty much every Volvo model has a numeric or alpha-numeric naming scheme. This could change when the Swedish luxury automaker reveals a new flagship electric model, previewed by the recent Concept Recharge.

The all-electric flagship will act as a successor to the current 2021 Volvo XC90, rivaling existing EVs like the Tesla Model X. To compete with Tesla, Volvo believes it needs a stronger name. "This car will have a name, more like a [newborn] child," said Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson said during a presentation. "Calling that just a new XC90 would be wrong because this is the really a first of its kind."

We aren't sure what Samuelsson is referring to with his newborn child comment but if we had to guess, this could be the first Volvo in decades to not use an alphanumeric name. This new model will differ greatly from the existing XC90 because it will debut a new dedicated EV platform, offer standard Lidar technology, and Volvo will only offer it online like the C40 Recharge.

The production vehicle may not look exactly like the Concept Recharge but should incorporate some similar design elements. "Some ideas normally move up," Samuelsson hinted, referring to the future flagship's design. "I won't say more."

This crossover will debut sometime in 2022, at which point Volvo tell us the new name. Production will begin in 2023 at Volvo's US plant in South Carolina. After this model arrives, Samuelsson confirmed this new naming structure would spread to future Volvo models.