Available to order from next spring, the S90 continues Volvo’s four-year process of renewing its entire model range, which started with the XC90 SUV this year. These will be arranged into 40, 60 and 90 clusters, each of which is likely to include saloon, hatchback/estate and crossover versions, badged S, V and XC respectively.

The S90 replaces the S80, joined by a V90 estate to replace the V70, and will bring new technologies including an upgraded version of the Pilot Assist semi-autonomous drive feature seen on the XC90, which can help keep the car properly aligned within lane markings up to motorway speeds of around 130kph and no longer needs to follow another car.

The S90 also introduces large animal detection functionality to the City Safety feature to warn of the presence of large animals such as elk, horses or moose, night or day, and to provide brake support to help avoid a collision.

Engines include a T8 Twin Engine plug-in hybrid powertrain.

“With the launch of the XC90 we made a clear statement of intent. We are now clearly and firmly in the game. With USD $11bn of investment over the past five years we have not only reimagined what Volvo Cars can be – we are now delivering on our promise of a resurgent and relevant Volvo Cars brand,” said Håkan Samuelsson, president & CEO, Volvo Car Group.

The S90 debuts at the Detroit Motor Show in January and makes its European debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March.

Commenting on its launch, Ian Fletcher, principal analyst at IHS Automotive, said: "Volvo is perhaps better known for their estates (station wagons) and now crossovers than their sedans these days. In the new S90, Volvo will be looking at turning over a new leaf in the premium E sedan segment after the weak performance of the S80 that it replaces. It will follow the same technology and design direction that has already been revealed in the popular XC90 SUV, and given the strong initial performance that has been seen by this model, this will prove to be strong starting place.

"Going against it will be the fact that sedans are somewhat waning in popularity. IHS Automotive data shows that although global sales of premium- and luxury mid- and full size sedans will grow over the next few years, this growth rate will be at a far lower rate than the global passenger car demand as a whole. Indeed, the share of large passenger cars sold globally on an annual basis has declined from 6.0% in 2006 to 4.8% in 2014. Current IHS Automotive forecasts also report this share falling as low as 4.2% by 2020.

"Nevertheless, IHS Automotive expects the S90 to perform better in the marketplace than the S80. The latter peaked at around 40,000 units globally during 2007, and we estimate that by 2018 the S90 will sell around 60,000 units per annum. This is due to a heavier emphasis on the market in China early on, where it has a wider dealer network/brand recognition and is expected to have tailored versions such as a long-wheel base variant which were slow to be launched last time. This will also be underpinned by its Chinese ownership which effectively makes the country its second 'domestic market'. The model will also have a presence in the US and Europe as well, although in Europe, the forthcoming V90 estate that will sit alongside it that will have the far bigger visibility. Even so, the S90/V90 combined are expected to sell in far smaller numbers that the Audi A6, BMW 5 Series and Mercedes E-Class."