We can't help but notice that Volvo has been having an on-and-off relationship with the station wagon body style. On the one hand, it acknowledges that wagons are a deep part of its history with the 850R being a solid ambassador on the racetrack during the late '90s and the 240 GL garnering a reputation of being one of the most bulletproof cars in automotive history.

On the other hand, it is no secret that the SUV market has completely dwarfed the wagon niche. That's exactly why company boss Hakan Samuelsson expressed that, as the Swedish brand transitions into an all-electric future, the Volvo wagon as we know it will die. In the USA, the svelte V60 and V90 wagons have already been taken off the floors as the XC crossover range aggressively dominates their market share.

Following this, Samuelsson added that Volvo had plans to consolidate its wagon range with products that are better suited for the current market. Thanks to insider information sourced by Autocar, we now have some idea of what this may be. It's apparent that the upcoming Volvo XC60 replacement will employ a wagon-inspired body style with SUV proportions, as hinted by the Concept Recharge design study.

Volvo's full EV soft launch, consisting of cars such as the C40 Recharge, has reflected some positive results as the new line returned a promising market share in its global sales for March 2022. The brand anticipates that by 2025, EV sales will increase from 9% to 50%, bolstered by the arrival of the new XC90 scheduled for a release later this year.

Volvo CFO Bjorn Annwall details that the XC90's fully electric platform will be the foundation of the XC60 that is due to follow. He explains, "There's continuous improvement of the technology we're using for each of the cars, and then it's even more important to have a fully cost-competitive situation when we come to the XC60. It's easier to do that if it's a little bit later."

Samuelsson explains that the brand's concept cars are indicative of what we can expect its production cars to look like. Considering this, we can anticipate a strong focus on minimalist aesthetics with elongated bodies, mimicking the silhouette of a conventional station wagon.