XC90's V8 dates to mid 1990s, Yamaha

[matthew1]

http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp ... e_number=1

Perhaps for marketing reasons, Volvo officials in this country have resisted acknowledging that the engine is a reworked version of the V-8 designed by Ford and built by Yamaha that once powered the Taurus SHO in the mid-'90s. Maybe the word synergy has lost its buzz value with marketers, but that's where the engine's basic architecture originated, and indeed, the XC90 V-8s will be built by Yamaha in Japan and shipped to Sweden. Financially, it simply makes sense for seller and buyer.

I'm pretty sure that the engine in the SHO was a Yamaha V6, not V8. That would explain the much greater displacement in the V8 -- 4.4L vs. 3.4L. Either way, it's an interesting road the engine has gone down.

First V8 Volvo has used in its history too.