A Chinese ad for the stretched Volvo S60 - which will soon go on sale in the U.S. as the S60 Inscription.

Volvo is stretching out – in more ways than one – by launching a long-wheelbase version of its S60 sedan. It also happens to be the first car scheduled to go on sale in the U.S. market produced in China.

Making its debut at the 2015 North American International Auto Show, the S60 Inscription adds another 3.4 inches of rear legroom to the current S60 model, taking it from cramped to what Volvo claims is best-in-class space.

Set to reach U.S. showrooms this coming summer, the long-wheelbase model has been in production for more than a year at the Volvo plant in Chengdu, not far from the headquarters of its Chinese parent, Geely. It’s the first plant Volvo has operated outside Europe.

As the world’s largest automotive market, there are scores of assembly plants operating across China, and a number of manufacturers have considered their export options. Honda actually did sell a small number of subcompact Jazz models in Canada but decided not to bring them to the States. BYD, an electric vehicle maker, has gone as far as setting up a U.S. headquarters in downtown Los Angeles, but its import plans have repeatedly been delayed.

The U.S. automotive sector is one of the few consumer markets which China currently doesn’t supply, so many industry observers are watching to see how Volvo’s move will play out – particularly to see if there are any quality problems or if the arrival of the S60 Inscription sparks any political backlash.

A Volvo S60L sedan rolling down the assembly line at the maker's plant in Chengdu, China.

For its part, Volvo has downplayed the significance of the 60 Inspiration’s imminent arrival, not even mentioning its Chinese origins in a press release.

Hakan Samuelsson, the president and CEO of the Volvo Car Group was equally nonchalant when asked about the launch.

“We never talk about selling Belgian cars when we talk about the (standard-wheelbase) S60,” he told TheDetroitBureau.com, referring to the production plant in Ghent. “This is not a ‘China car.’ It’s a Volvo, just a special model built in China.”

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If anything the move simply makes good sense, Volvo officials stressed, by better utilizing the company’s expanded global production base.

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What should matter most to consumers is the added luxury offered by the S60 Inscription, according to Lex Kerssemakers, Volvo’s Senior Vice President of Product Strategy. “What we have added to the S60 Inscription,” he stressed, “is a luxurious edge using the most natural materials, attention to detail and our iconic Scandinavian design language.”

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The stretched sedan will come in two versions, a Premier model and a Platinum edition. Both will get leather seating, a sunroof and built-in navigation. The top-line Platinum model will add a Harman Kardon premium audio system, Xenon lights and other features. Both variants will be offered with Volvo’s T5 engine and all-wheel-drive.

Pricing has not yet been announced.