Last year, Volvo broke its sales record for the fifth time on the trot, selling 642,253 vehicles all across the world. The XC60 is the most popular Volvo of them all, accounting for one-third of the volume.
The XC90 and V40 took second and third place, and this gets us to the compact hatchback that’s also available as the V40 Cross Country. Dating back to 2012, the V40 was developed with input from the Ford Motor Company.
Ford doesn’t even use the Global C platform anymore in the Focus, transitioning to the C2 as part of the five-platform strategy detailed by development chief Hau Thai-Tang. Given these circumstances, Volvo is developing a replacement that won’t come in the guise of a hatchback.
With input from Geely, the Swedish automaker is tipped to use the Lynk & Co 04 as the building block for the next generation of the V40. The Chinese crosshatch will be assembled in Ghent, Belgium where the XC40 – also based on the Common Module Architecture – is manufactured.
There’s no denying the V40 will follow in the footsteps of the 04 as far as styling and size are concerned, expectations reassured by European head Lex Kerssemakers. Speaking to Automotive News Europe, the executive highlights two aspects about the V40.
“First is that people want to sit high and second is that if you launch a car, it needs to facilitate an electric variant.” Kerssemakers also mentioned in the ballpark of 300 kilometers (186 miles; WLTP) for the V40 EV, which is expected to share its underpinnings with the XC40 EV.
It appears the 40.2 Concept presented in May 2017 will offer styling influences for the real deal, a high-riding liftback sedan that shares a lot of its design with the 40.1 Concept that morphed into the XC40. These said, don’t expect anything too outlandish from the 2020 Volvo V40 but something modern and appealing to first-time Volvo customers.
Ford doesn’t even use the Global C platform anymore in the Focus, transitioning to the C2 as part of the five-platform strategy detailed by development chief Hau Thai-Tang. Given these circumstances, Volvo is developing a replacement that won’t come in the guise of a hatchback.
With input from Geely, the Swedish automaker is tipped to use the Lynk & Co 04 as the building block for the next generation of the V40. The Chinese crosshatch will be assembled in Ghent, Belgium where the XC40 – also based on the Common Module Architecture – is manufactured.
There’s no denying the V40 will follow in the footsteps of the 04 as far as styling and size are concerned, expectations reassured by European head Lex Kerssemakers. Speaking to Automotive News Europe, the executive highlights two aspects about the V40.
“First is that people want to sit high and second is that if you launch a car, it needs to facilitate an electric variant.” Kerssemakers also mentioned in the ballpark of 300 kilometers (186 miles; WLTP) for the V40 EV, which is expected to share its underpinnings with the XC40 EV.
It appears the 40.2 Concept presented in May 2017 will offer styling influences for the real deal, a high-riding liftback sedan that shares a lot of its design with the 40.1 Concept that morphed into the XC40. These said, don’t expect anything too outlandish from the 2020 Volvo V40 but something modern and appealing to first-time Volvo customers.