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Volvo has got a lot to celebrate. After all, it’s come a long way from the days when people saw it as a manufacturer of predictable, middle-of-the-road cars. You know, the type of vehicle that is inherently safe and dependable on the one hand, but not necessarily exciting on the other. Today, Volvo produces modern and highly competitive cars and SUVs that can certainly compete with other mainstream OEMs at every level, while one of its new-age SUVs has just become its all-time bestseller too.

This is the story of the Volvo XC60 and how it has helped to redefine what a Volvo can be in the 21st century.

The New Standard Bearer

On June 25th, 2025, Volvo released a statistical milestone. It confirmed that the XC60, which is the company’s premium mid-size SUV, has now sold more than 2.7 million units globally. This means that it has now sold more than the legendary Volvo 240, which up until that point had held the sales crown for more than 30 years. The headline means a great deal to Volvo, as it now has a more modern, premium, and globally relevant vehicle as the true flagship of its brand. So, Volvo may no longer represent the archetypal manufacturer of boxy wagons, but a company that can now produce stylish and electrified SUVs that strike the right chord in the global marketplace.

Goodbye To The Brick

The Volvo 240 first appeared in 1974 and immediately found favor among families and safety-conscious drivers. People would affectionately call it “the brick” due to its square profile and well-engineered chassis, and it had some peerless safety credentials. Sure, it wasn’t glamorous to look at, but it was definitely dependable, and it passed all its crash tests with flying colors. It would simply run and run without complaint, and many owners would rack up hundreds of thousands of miles behind the wheel of these bricks.

The 240 was also ahead of its time by introducing safety features like side-impact protection or crumple zones, when these issues were not really at the forefront in the mass market. It sold well across Europe and North America and, while it certainly represented a form of no-nonsense engineering, it would also burn its legacy into Volvo’s very DNA. The 240 would stick around and fly the Volvo flag when the estate body style was falling out of favor elsewhere. As people really wanted SUVs instead and Volvo needed to comply, the all-new XC60 rode to the rescue.

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Here Comes The Scandinavian SUV Giant

The first-generation XC60 appeared in 2008 to revolutionize the Volvo brand. At that time, mid-size SUVs were everything and the company certainly needed a global volume player. Volvo was also in transition with new parents, as Ford had gobbled it up in the late 1990s. However, it would soon transition over to Geely ownership and modernization was most definitely on the table. The XC60 was just a part of this strategy, and it sat in between the full-sized XC90 and smaller crossovers. It also racked up more annual sales than any other Volvo model one year after its launch and never really looked back.

Crucially, the XC60 was still as safe as houses and placed Volvo once again at the forefront on this important topic. For example, the XC60 had City Safety, which was a low-speed automatic emergency braking system that could help prevent front-end collisions under a certain speed. Of course, features like this are now commonplace across the market, but back then, Volvo was the pioneer. The XC60 would take that safety reputation and bolt it into a stylish and sculpted vehicle with an elegant interior. The message was clear: you didn’t need to be staid to be safe anymore and, instead of just being pragmatic, you could be aspirational.

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The Second Generation Turns Up The Volume

Volvo launched the second-generation XC60 at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show. It had the company’s new scalable SPA platform, and shared technology with the XC90 and S90 models. Electrification was front and center and the new XC60 had a wide range of powertrains, including mild hybrids and the top-tier T8 plug-in hybrid, alongside turbocharged petrol and diesel engines. The plug-in hybrid version was a great success in Europe, and it became the continent’s best-selling plug-in hybrid in 2024.

In 2018, the XC60 would win the “world car of the year” award to beat out stiff competition from bigger brands. Once again, judges would laud its safety credentials, but they also liked its efficient drivetrain options, premium-feeling cabin and great drivability. Volvo also reported that European drivers would use electric power for almost 48% of the time. This type of real-world statistic would clearly be valuable from a marketing perspective, as it showed just how usable and efficient the XC60 could be.

The XC60 would consistently sell more than 200,000 units per year and, by mid-2025, cross the 2.7 million threshold globally. And it took just 17 years to achieve this feat versus the 240 and its 19-year journey, which is more impressive when you consider the level of competition around these days.

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The Design And Engineering Journey

Volvo’s XC60 is one of its most flexible creations. After all, Volvo has launched three iterations of this vehicle during its lifetime, including a 2013 mid-cycle facelift, a full redesign in 2017, a smaller refresh in 2021, and a much bigger redo for the 2026 model year. And each time, it’s been able to shake things up without alienating its core audience. The latest version has a revised front and rear fascia styling and a bigger Google infotainment display, with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and refreshed interior materials. It’s also globally adaptable and sells well in not just Europe and North America, but also India and China. In fact, many of the XC60s are produced in China for the global marketplace. This puts it in stark contrast to the old 240, which had much more of a western fan base.

What’s Next For Volvo And The XC60?

Volvo says that it wants to be a fully electric car company by 2030, and its plans will naturally include the XC60. The current generation already offers mild hybrid and plug-in hybrid options, but Volvo may produce an all-electric successor, perhaps the EX60, in short order. In doing so, it will have to be careful to ensure that its next-generation model is as functional and as versatile as its predecessor. It’ll surely need to retain those long-standing safety credentials while also focusing on luxury and range competitiveness.

Moving From a Brick To A Benchmark

As the XC60 surpasses the Volvo 240’s long-held sales record, it finally transforms the brand itself. As such, it has successfully combined the company’s hallmark safety with modern design, premium comfort levels, and some clear electrified directions. Sure, the old 240 will maintain a special place in the hearts of Volvo’s loyalists and enthusiasts, but the XC60 has now made the company far more contemporary. In short, it shows the world that safety doesn’t have to be boring, and who knows where this Swedish manufacturer will go next?

Sources: Volvo.