Volvo could launch crossover-coupe

The model wouldn\'t arrive until after 2020.

Volvo hasn't ruled out adding a more style-oriented model to its crossover and SUV lineup. If launched, it would open a new front in the Swedish brand's offensive against the Germans.

"We cover 98 percent of the segments, so it's more likely we'll go further into the depths than expand," said Lex Kerssemakers, Volvo's senior vice president for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, in an interview with British magazine Auto Express.

Asked about the possibility of a crossover-coupe, he replied "potentially but not in the short term." The magazine points out Volvo recently trade-marked the XC50 name and claims that's evidence a style-oriented model will eventually happen.

If that's accurate, the XC50 nameplate suggests it will share its CMA platform with the XC40. That positioning would put it in the same segment as the BMW X2. We can't imagine BMW turning the XC90 into an X6-fighting fastback-on-stilts.

The XC50 -- assuming it's called that -- isn't a high-priority model for Volvo. Kerssemakers stressed the company currently has its plate full. It just introduced the all-new V60 and it's already looking ahead to the launch of the next-generation S60, which is scheduled for this summer. It's also developing a successor for its Golf-sized V40 hatchback while making sizable investments in electrification.