Starting with the 140 series in 1968, Volvo used a three-number system for its cars. The first number was the series; the second number indicated the number of cylinders and the third digit the number of doors; so a Volvo 164 had a six-cylinder engine and four doors. There were exceptions: the 760 often was equipped with a turbocharged inline-four engine and the Volvo 360 only had four cylinders.
Today, the company uses a system of letters denoting body style followed by the series number. Although not official, it is fairly accepted that S stands for sedan, C stands for coupe or convertible and V stands for versatile, used strictly for the station wagon line. XC stands for cross country, originally added to the V70 model to become the XC70, sister to the XC90.
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Does Your Car's Name Mean Something? How to Decode Import Car Model Names