Volvo has officially unveiled its newest SUV, the new 2018 XC40 at the launch in Milan Italy.
Positioned below the XC60 and larger XC90, the XC40 has been described by Volvo as being ‘built for urban life.’
This model is the first to make use of Volvo Cars’ new modular vehicle architecture (CMA) co-developed with Volvo owner Geely, which will underpin all other upcoming cars in the 40 Series including the fully electrified vehicles.
The compact SUV is said to have ‘more functional storage space in the doors and under the seats’ and gains Volvo’s award-winning safety features and technology from the XC60 and 90.
The XC40 will be available with a D4 diesel or a T5 petrol 2.0-litre four-cylinder Drive-E mill. At a later stage Volvo will also introduce a hybrid as well as a pure electric powertrain. The XC40 will also be the first Volvo model to be available with Volvo Cars’ new three-cylinder engine.
‘Care by Volvo’ that makes having a car ‘as transparent, easy and hassle free as having a mobile phone’ is a new Volvo service that will be available on the XC40 first. This subscription service will be available in Europe initially and will include a car-sharing service as well as access to a range of digital concierge services such as fuelling, cleaning, service pick-up and e-commerce delivery to the car.
Volvo South Africa is looking at the viability of the Care by Volvo business model, Volvo on Call and related services for local introduction, although there has been no final decision in this regard yet.
Production of the XC40 will begin in November this year at Volvo Cars’ plant in Ghent, Belgium.
South African introduction is provisionally scheduled for the second quarter of 2018 and details such as specification levels and drivetrain options will be released closer to the launch date.