On November 2nd, Volvo announced it will be furthering its cooperative efforts with Chinese parent Zhejiang Geely Holding Group. The two firms will start producing cars at a joint assembly plant in Taizhou, in the eastern Zhejiang province.
What does this have to do with Volvo’s U.S. market and consumers? Well, it’s rumored that some of these jointly-produced vehicles will be sold abroad, including the recently unveiled stretched variants of Volvo’s S90 premium sedan, like the S90 Excellence.
The funny thing though is that the new S90 Excellence is going to have a built-in refrigerator in lieu of a front passenger seat… WTF, Volvo?
The S90 Excellence
The new S90 Excellence is not just getting a refrigerator either, but also some handmade crystal glassware. The S90 Excellence is also going to be the most premium car ever made in China as well. While that idea of a refrigerator in place of a front-seat might be funny to us, it goes much further than just having a place to keep your iced coffee cold.
Technically, it’s called the Lounge Console, which is designed to meet the chauffeur-driven executive customers’ need to relax or work while on the road. Therefore, it’s safe to assume that the one-front-seated-wonder variation is going to remain strictly in China, whereas a four-passenger seat version will be the one that’s sold abroad.
Even though it sounds silly, it is a neat concept. Definitely a great WOW factor when picking up business clientele from the airport.
What Else?
While the eventual release of the S90 Excellence in the good ole’ U S of A is nothing but speculation at this point — since there is a sense of ambiguity surrounding the term “abroad” — it’s still neat to look at what the S90 Excellence has to offer. After all, it is a spinoff of one of Volvo’s most popular and recently refreshed sedans.
So, it’s going to have a full panoramic sunroof, foldout worktables (again, probably in the one-front-seated-wonder version), heated and cooled cupholders, and a built-in entertainment system with a large display for work or entertainment purposes. 3/4 of those features making an appearance on an American model is easily believable, along with the idea of the crystal glassware to improve the luxurious atmosphere. If there’s one thing on that list that I’d love to see make its way over to the S90 Excellence American version it would be the heated and cooled cupholders. That’s just cool. (Get it?)
Then again, we could also see these features on some of Volvo’s other models if they gain enough popularity on the Excellence model.
That’s all we know for now, and we just have to play the waiting game to see what happens with the S90 Excellence, and whether it will actually make it over to America. Like I said, it’s pure speculation at this point due to the ambiguity of the term “abroad,” but it’s a safe bet that we’ll eventually see a version of the S90 Excellence on American soil. Volvo sure does love wowing us with its latest and greatest feat of luxury.
