VOLVO has released the first picture of its new large estate car but is remaining tight-lipped about details of the model, which is due to go on sale in the UK in January. Built on the same platform as the S80, and sharing some of the saloon's design features, the estate will be available with two engine options at launch - the 2.3-litre 250bhp five-cylinder turbocharged unit from the T5 and a 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbodiesel unit.

Later next year there will be a 2.4-litre petrol version. The new estate will sit alongside Volvo's existing large estate - the V70 - until it is dropped in the middle of next year. Two new innovations that will be fitted to the estate are the world's first rearward-facing child seat which will fit to the ISOFIX attachment and a dual stage airbag that automatically alters the rate of inflation to suit the force of a crash.

Details of pricing and specification levels will be announced when the car is launched simultaneously at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit and the London Boat Show on January 10.