Volvo Cars has completed the production of 4,000,000 cars based on the revolutionary first-generation Scalable Product Architecture* (SPA) platform. SPA was introduced in 2014 in the second-generation Volvo XC90 and laid the foundations for today’s modern face of the Volvo brand. It transformed the company’s production, making it possible to develop different models, drive systems and technologies, based on a common architecture and assembly line, and the end result was a significant reduction in costs.

Designed and developed in-house, the SPA is the work of the Swedish-led Research and Development (R&D) department. Since its appearance, it has been the basis for six different models, with production on three continents and in four countries: Belgium, China, Sweden and the USA.

The flagship car, a Volvo XC90, recently rolled off the production line at the company’s factory in Sweden.

“SPA has spearheaded the rebirth of our company as a modern and premium brand,” says Michael Fleiss, Head of Strategy and Product Director at Volvo Cars. “To this day, it remains the foundation for some of the most successful Volvo models in history and continues to reach new heights as we continue to improve it.”

Volvo Cars is celebrating this milestone and is using it to highlight the many benefits customers worldwide have gained from the versatility of the SPA.

SPA introduced several world-first safety features that have helped make the XC90 and subsequent models among the safest cars in the world. The relevant list includes functions such as the off-road anti-roll protection package and the automatic intersection braking function. Another example is the roll cage, which has been further improved thanks to the increased use of high-strength boron steel. Many of these features continue to be upgraded, ensuring that Volvo customers benefit – now and in the future.

In addition, the platform gave the design team more creative freedom, which resulted in the striking ‘Thor’s Hammer’ headlamps, which are our design signature. It also became the basis for the ground-breaking ‘Twin Engine’ drive system, a combination of petrol engine and electric propulsion still used today in Volvo plug-in hybrids.

Looking ahead, the significant expertise from SPA will be leveraged on the SPA2 platform and the upcoming SPA3, continuing to shape and power the Volvo models of tomorrow. In addition, thanks to over-the-air software updates, many of the SPA-based cars in circulation continue to be upgraded to this day free of charge.