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Accolades for the 2016 Volvo XC90 sport utility vehicle off the Detroit Auto Show on Monday morning. It beat out the new Nissan Titan truck and Honda Pilot SUV to win the 2016 North American Truck/Utility of the Year Award.
Every year, a panel of automotive journalists pick their favorite cars based on setting new benchmarks in design, safety and handling and driver satisfaction. And though the awards don’t carry the same weight as praise from a publication like Consumer Reports, they signal the direction the market for mass-produced vehicles are headed.
“It’s one of those awards that’s more important for the industry than for consumers. Something like the Motor Trend Car of the Year or the Car & Driver 10 Best list are more oriented to car buyers,” said Eric Lyman, vice president of automotive industry insights at TrueCar Inc. “But it’s a great accolade for an automaker to win the award.”
The Volvo XC90 is part of Volvo Cars’ $11-billion effort by its Chinese owner Geely to help the Swedish manufacturer regain its stature as an understated, safety first automaker. With its 2.0-liter turbocharged 316-horsepower engine, the seven-seat midsize luxury crossover SUV has won praise for its efficiency and interior space. Ford sold Volvo to the Chinese automaker in 2010 for much needed cash, and at the time industry watchers wondered how much Geely would tinker with Volvo’s future. It turns out that the Chinese have allowed Volvo to retain its Scandinavian sensibility.
“So here is the new, sweetly handsome, slightly eccentric, even subtly glamorous XC90 intended to return Volvo to the forefront of the progressive automotive consciousness,” said a Car & Driver review of the $50,000 2016 XC90.
Every year, a panel of automotive journalists pick their favorite cars based on setting new benchmarks in design, safety and handling and driver satisfaction. And though the awards don’t carry the same weight as praise from a publication like Consumer Reports, they signal the direction the market for mass-produced vehicles are headed.
“It’s one of those awards that’s more important for the industry than for consumers. Something like the Motor Trend Car of the Year or the Car & Driver 10 Best list are more oriented to car buyers,” said Eric Lyman, vice president of automotive industry insights at TrueCar Inc. “But it’s a great accolade for an automaker to win the award.”
The Volvo XC90 is part of Volvo Cars’ $11-billion effort by its Chinese owner Geely to help the Swedish manufacturer regain its stature as an understated, safety first automaker. With its 2.0-liter turbocharged 316-horsepower engine, the seven-seat midsize luxury crossover SUV has won praise for its efficiency and interior space. Ford sold Volvo to the Chinese automaker in 2010 for much needed cash, and at the time industry watchers wondered how much Geely would tinker with Volvo’s future. It turns out that the Chinese have allowed Volvo to retain its Scandinavian sensibility.
“So here is the new, sweetly handsome, slightly eccentric, even subtly glamorous XC90 intended to return Volvo to the forefront of the progressive automotive consciousness,” said a Car & Driver review of the $50,000 2016 XC90.
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