Volvo Commemorates 20 Years Of Mechanical All-Wheel Drive

Volvo, that launched its first serial production AWD car, the 850 Estate in May 1996, is celebrating 20 years of mechanical all-wheel drive (AWD).

By Carandbike Team

1 mins read

Published on January 27, 2017

Highlights

The carmaker's first serial production AWD car was the 850 Estate
Volvo introduced its AWD program just as it started work on the XC90
Volvo Cars' current mechanical AWD system is modular in design

Volvo, that launched its first serial production AWD car, the 850 Estate in May 1996, is commemorating 20 years of mechanical all-wheel drive (AWD). The Swedish carmaker introduced its AWD program just as it started development work on the first-generation Volvo XC90. Launched in 2002 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the first-generation XC90 received an optional Haldex Traction Generation 2 AWD system on the turbocharged 2.5T petrol version whereas the variant with the 3.2-litre powerplant came with AWD as standard. In case you were wondering, Volvo Cars' current mechanical AWD system is modular in design. Henrik Green, Senior Vice President, Research & Development at Volvo Cars, said, "Volvo cars are well known for what we call 'framkomlighet' in Swedish - the ability to get you wherever you want to go - regardless of the weather conditions. This is an important part of our heritage and a clear reflection of who we are and where we come from. With the recent addition of electric all-wheel drive to our top-of-the-line products, we have further refined our performance in this important area." Volvo Cross Country Range He went on to add, "Electrification will bring ever more flexibility to AWD. You can see the first signs of this in our XC90 T8 Twin Engine, where we have an electric rear-axle drive unit powering the rear wheels. As we move to full-battery electric vehicles and other powertrain applications, we will see increased opportunities to control each motor and wheel independently, based on either the surface conditions or the desired driving style." The company also reiterated its aim to accomplish advancement in AWD technology too, which would mean improved handling, stability and traction while reducing fuel consumption. Case in point, 'Active On Demand' technology where all four wheels are always engaged to allow for the instant distribution of torque to the rear wheels when needed. The actual torque applied is controlled to constantly deliver the right properties regarding handling, stability and traction at any moment. It must be noted that all-wheel-drive variants account for over 50 per cent of Volvo's new 90 series car orders; across the entire Volvo range, the figure is more than 40 per cent.