Volvo XC40, brand’s lowest priced SUV revealed; India launch next year

Volvo has officially unveiled its entry-level SUV, the XC40 today. The XC40 is the most affordable XC series model and it will go on sale by the end of 2018 the international markets. The SUV will also arrive in India in the first half of 2018.

The Volvo XC40 shares a lot of design elements with the older sibling XC60. However, the XC40 is completely on a different platform. Unlike the XC90 and XC60 which are built around Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) platform, the all-new XC40 is based on the company’s new Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) platform. The platform is shared with Geely, the parent company of Volvo which is based out of China.

The XC40 will share a long list of features with the XC60 and the XC90. It includes the safety features like run-off protection and mitigation, cross traffic alert, auto-brakes, a 360-degree camera and semi-autonomous pilot system as well.

The XC40 is a 5-seater vehicle and the cabin is similar to the modern Volvo vehicles. There is a big vertical infotainment system plus information centre in the middle. The steering wheel is a three-spoke set-up with multiple buttons on it. The seats and door panels are shrouded in premium leather.

Volvo XC40 will be available in D4 diesel and T5 petrol four-cylinder Drive-E powertrain. There will also be a pure electric and hybrid power options that will be added to the line-up at a later time. The XC40 will become the first Volvo model that will be powered by a 3-cylinder engine. Indian market is expected to get only the diesel engine option initially.

The XC40 features a host of smart options like door pockets designed to hold an average laptop, tablet and a couple of bottles. The car also gets moving speakers and the company is working on the air-ventilated dashboard-mounted subwoofer. There is also a smartphone holder, a trash bin, compartment for tissues and more. The car will compete against the likes of BMW X1 and Audi Q3 when launched.