Volvo's XC90 SUV / Courtesy of Volvo

By Kim Jae-heun

Swedish carmaker Volvo's very first SUV, the XC90, has established itself as a new luxury vehicle, selling 15,053 in 2021 alone in Korea.

Volvo vehicles have long been praised for their safety, but some consumers have seen room for improvement in terms of their designs.

The Swedish car company strived to adopt sophisticated designs for its XC series, which is now gaining huge popularity around the world.

As of last year, Volvo cars take up 15.5 percent of global sales. Between 2003 and 2022, the company sold 10,167 cars here in total.

The XC90 was first introduced to the public in 2002 as a flagship model. Based on Volvo's strength in safety, the XC90 is said to have solved various shortcomings typical of SUVs, such as the risk of rollover due to high center of gravity and differences in driving attributes. As a result, the XC90 won more than 100 awards including Car of the Year 2003 from Auto Express, a car magazine in the U.K.

Volvo's flagship SUV model adopts five high-tech features: roll stability control (RSC), rollover protection system (ROPS), curtain airbags for all third-row seats, second-row booster cushions for children, seat belts equipped with tensioners in all seats and a low crossbeam.

ROPS technology protects passengers in the event of a rollover, and the low crossbeam activates the safety system of the vehicle in the event of a collision.

After introducing the second generation of the XC90 in 2015, the SUV model sold 40,621 in only seven months and took an additional 88,000 orders ― achieving the most sales in Volvo's history.

In 2016, the XC90 won 69 awards including North American Truck of the Year and 2016 SUV of the Year in the United Kingdom.