That’s not the concept car?
Swedish luxury car marque Volvo been keeping a slow and steady drip of information ahead of the introduction of its new XC40 compact SUV, due to reveal itself to the world in a weeks’ time. Representing a brand-new step into a brand-new segment for the brand, the Volvo XC40 is suggested to be the the crossover that will unseat the bigger XC60 from its throne as Gothenburg's best-selling product.
Last week, we ran an article featuring a teaser video that Volvo uploaded, showing off the new XC40 with enough lighting and shrouding effects to ensure that only enough was revealed about the upcoming compact crossover, without giving away the full Monty. We have learned that following that video, Volvo’s office in Hungary thought they'd follow suit, but proceeded to upload a promotional video without those effects meant to hide important bits of the car. Of course, the video has since been wiped from existence (and someone’s likely had his or her ear chewed off), but screenshots were, uh, shot and havs since found their way onto the internet for all to see.
The new XC40 appears to carry the design previewed by the Concept 40.1 wholesale, with only minor changes to the bumpers on either end, and the lights at either end. The bluff front-end and the curvaceous rear remain intact, as does the profile of the car, though functional door handles and usable rear-view mirrors have been added.
The cabin sees fitment of a familiar, albeit downsized layout that we’ve seen in 90- and 60-Series cars from the Swedish stable. There’s a large portrait-oriented touchscreen taking prime placement at the centre of the dash, flanked by slim air-conditioning vents within the frame.
Beneath lie a handful of buttons for a handful of functions, while the centre console appears to house the electric parking brake, though the twist-start knob that we’ve seen before appears to have been eschewed for a more conventional push-start job, sitting to the right of the steering wheel (on this left-hand drive model).
The sole photograph of the cabin confirms that the XC40, while small, will come with the brands’ best tech on some trim levels, like the fully-digital instrument display (which you can just about make out here), as well as that all-important Sensus infotainment system. Details on trims and variants are scarce at the moment, but an educated guess tells us that the car featured in these photos is a T5 TwinEngine, based on the similarity in badging between this T5 and the T8 TwinEngine we’ve seen before.
Further, the presence of a second badge directly to the right of the ‘T5’ nomenclature suggests this might be an ‘Inscription’ trim car, further compounded by what appears to be double-stitched Nappa leather inside. Curiously though, there is no Orrefors crystal gear lever here, quite unlike previous iterations of Volvo’s plug-in hybrids.
We know that the Volvo XC40 will be hitting the market in Q1 2018, following its international debut next week on the 21st. In any case, the XC40 will be hitting the market and keeping cars like the Audi Q3, BMW X1, and Mercedes-Benz GLA in its crosshairs, and promises to do so with the same pomp and Nordic style as its siblings.
Speaking at the Detroit motor show earlier this year, Volvo R&D boss Henrik Green said that the XC40 would be the first new Volvo to ride on the company’s CMA architecture, designed for compact cars. The R&D boss said that the base development work of the car had already been completed by February of this year, with further R&D testing required ahead of the launch.
Volvo knows what it’s doing when it comes to SUVs. The new XC90 continues to rack up awards around the world, while the XC60 (recently swapped out for an all-new model, too) remains as the brand’s best-selling model. The CMA platform that’ll underpin Volvo’s new range of compact cars will also be used across the Geely family of products, and will likely find its way into Lynk&Co. offerings in the future.
Once the the XC40 has had its time in the limelight, Volvo is expected to then bring the V40 hatchback and estate to market sometime in 2019. Whatever remains of Volvo’s older-generation cars have to be replaced soon, and fast, ahead of Volvo’s plan to have the entire rage electrified by the end of the decade. The XC40 marks a significant step in a new direction for the venerated Swedish brand, and we’re looking forward to seeing exactly how it shapes up next week.
Stay tuned to CarShowroom as we bring you more updates as they come.
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