Volvo XC40 To Launch Later This Year; More SUVs Possible

Volvo will unveil its compact XC40 SUV in the latter half of the year says research and development boss Henrik Green.

It has already been confirmed that the XC40 will be based around the Swedish marque’s CMA architecture, also set to be shared with Lynk & Co for its 01 SUV. Launching as Volvo’s third SUV, it will target the BMW X1 and Audi Q3 and aims to capture some of the burgeoning demand for small crossovers and SUVs.

According to Green, “There’s a big chance it’ll [the XC40] be one of the most successful cars in our line-up.”

Following its debut, a new family of 40-series models will be launched including a replacement to the V40. Further SUV models could then follow the XC40, says Green.

“To me, yes, three SUVs is a very good base. It’s an interesting bodystyle. It’s interesting what you can do with SUVs. They started as off-roaders, then moved to the city. What they gave customers was good ingress and egress, a good overview of traffic and a feeling of being in command.

“These are all attributes we could give to customers in lots of different shapes and bodies, not necessarily traditional ones,” he told Autocar.