Volvo large crossover may be called Embla

Volvo's next flagship crossover will be all-electric and could pay homage to the Swedish automaker's lineage.

Volvo filed for trademark protection in October for the name Embla, according to Australian news site Drive. In Norse mythology, Embla is the name of the first woman.

As it pivots to an all-electric brand, Volvo will deviate from using alphanumeric names on future vehicles. Volvo Cars CEO Hakan Samuelsson hinted late last year that the new crossover's name would "start with a vowel."

Volvo spokesman Russell Datz declined to confirm the Embla name.

"The nomenclature is speculative," Datz said last week. "Nothing has been finalized."

The electric large crossover will be built at the automaker's South Carolina assembly plant and reach showrooms in early 2023.

It could borrow styling cues from the Concept Recharge — a prototype for a portfolio of EVs that Volvo plans in coming years.

The battery pack in Volvo's next-generation EVs will sit under the flat floor, letting designers extend the wheelbase and create more interior space.

The design allows a crossover's hood and roofline to be lowered for enhanced aerodynamics without compromising visibility for occupants.

The concept's interior is anchored by a 15-inch touch screen and a floating screen behind the steering wheel that will use Volvo's newly developed operating system.

The new crossover will introduce an "unsupervised" autonomous driving system. The functionality, available on a subscription basis, will be limited initially to highways.

When activated, "the customer can relax, they can text, they could potentially watch YouTube," Alexander Petrofski, Volvo Cars' head of strategy, told Automotive News this month. "Volvo will take full responsibility for the propulsion of the vehicle, as long as the system is being used in a proper way."