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Volvo V90 wagon is beautiful, but it's dead in America [UPDATE]

Update: Roadshow reported that the V60 T5 variant is joining the V90 on its way out the door for the 2022 model year. However, the V60 T8 Polestar Engineered and V60 Cross Country will continue on, ensuring that the V60 nameplate does not disappear entirely from the U.S. We contacted Volvo about the news, and a spokesperson confirmed Roadshow's report. We're glad to hear that the performance variant of Volvo's V60 is sticking around, and if you want something more affordable, the lovely and lifted V60 Cross Country can check that box. The original story continues below.   Volvo, a brand practically synonymous with wagons in the U.S., is pulling the plug on one of the last great examples of the form. For Americans, at least. The beautiful and excellent Volvo V90 wagon will no longer be sold in America after the 2021 model year. Its demise was reported by Motor Trend, which didn't quote a source, so we reached out to Volvo for the official word: "Volvo will offer V90 Cross Country in MY22, but simplify the range and no longer offer the standard V90." The move has been foreshadowed for a long time, as Volvo has moved only 1,453 V90s from the car's debut in 2017 through the end of the 2020 model year. The figures don't break out the standard V90 versus the lifted V90 Cross Country, but we would bet that the V90 portion of that figure is infinitesimal.  As we've said in the past, it's a chicken-and-egg problem: The V90 wagon is available only via special order and is not marketed; you can't just walk onto a Volvo lot and choose from stock, as you can Volvo's hot-selling SUVs. Sales of the wagon have been slow for a long time, and earlier this year Volvo head honcho Hakan Samuelsson said the company would move away from wagons and into the arms of the in-demand crossovers. To be clear, the V90 Cross Country will still be available, as will the smaller V60 T8 Polestar Engineered wagon and V60 Cross Country. The loss is a gut-punch to wagon-loving enthusiasts. The V90 was universally well-reviewed, a competent and competitive car — and stunning to behold. It was a pure wagon form, unfettered by unnecessarily lifted suspensions or extra body cladding to make it appear more rugged. It handled better than its crossover cousins thanks to a lower center of gravity, and carried the torch for a long line of great wagons. We are in an arms race for taller, bulkier cars that handle worse and are indistinguishable from one another.

China's Geely buying majority stake in Lotus

Geely, the Hong Kong car company that owns Volvo, is acquiring control of British car company Lotus. Geely is purchasing a 51-percent stake in Lotus from struggling Malaysian car company Proton, and a 49.9 percent stake in Proton itself. Etika Automotive will gain the other 49 percent of Lotus. France's PSA Group and Japan's Suzuki had apparently also been interested in acquiring Proton. Geely says it plans to revive both Proton and Lotus. "The agreement lays the foundation for a wider framework for both Geely Holding, Proton and Lotus to explore joint synergies in areas such as research and development, manufacturing and market presence," Geely said in a news release. Those joint synergies will be highlighted by the lightweight chassis technology Lotus is known for, which could help Geely improve fuel efficiency. Geely CFO Daniel Donghui Li said the company aims to "unleash the full potential of Lotus Cars" by expanding and accelerating new products and technologies. Proton was nationally held but was privatized in 2007 to Malaysian conglomerate DRB-Hicom, which is owned by tycoon Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary. It was supposed to be the flagship for Malaysia's economic development.Though it owns two factories, Proton mainly rebadges foreign-made cars and sells them in Malaysia. What it has, what Geely presumably wants, is a distribution network in Southeast Asia to pit Chinese cars against Japanese automotive dominance in the region. Retaining a 50.1-percent stake in Proton is seen as a face-saving move. "Proton will always remain a national car and a source of pride, as Proton will still have a majority hold of 50.1 percent," Malaysian finance official Johari Abdul Ghani said. "Our very own much-loved brand now has a real chance in making a comeback, a huge one I hope." Related Video:

Volvo launches XC90 configurator site

In many ways the 2016 Volvo XC90 defines the future of the Swedish brand. The SUV is the introduction of the company's Scalable Product Architecture modular platform that should underpin most of its future models. It's also the first big chance to see whether consumers accept a model like this that's only available with four-cylinder power, granted a mill that is both turbocharged and supercharged. The configurator for this Swedish hopeful is just hitting the Web giving customers a chance to see what they think.
The only available powertrain on the XC90 at the moment is the 2.0-liter Drive-E with 316 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, an eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. The base price starts at $48,900, plus $925 for destination, but that number can balloon quite quickly. Upgrading to the R-Design package tacks on $4,000 or the even plusher Inscription package adds $5,600.
Furthermore, there are several option packages to add some extra tech and comfort to the SUV. The Vision Package with a backup cam is an extra $1,600, two versions of the Climate package to keep occupants warm come to $1,050 and $1,950, respectively, and the Convenience Package that includes adaptive cruise control adds $2,000. Depending on trim, there are up to 13 colors available in an attractive variety, although all but two add $550 to the price. There are also a wide variety of leather upholsteries to choose from.