Photo: Volvo
Finding premium features and design in a small car is not uncommon these days. And although Volvo has only previewed the XC40 compact crossover, it's already eyeing the subcompact market with an XC20 model.
Shrinking a family car to suit younger buyers is not uncommon. Volvo has already done it once with the Ford Focus-based C30. But people want small crossovers with thick pillars and futuristic styling, not sporty coupes little coupes with five-cylinder engines.
So the Swedes are now thinking about a rival for the Audi Q2. Volvo's head of development, Henrik Green, revealed to Autocar magazine that the 20-series range might be on the cars in a recent interview.
“It’s not a problem to have an XC20. The CMA platform can be made smaller,” he said. And so the baby crossover would be based on the same architecture as the next-gen V40 or the XC40.
The Compact Modular Architecture is also being used by Chinese brand Lynk & Co to make some pretty stunning looking designs. So Geely is getting its money's worth.
Audi is technically the only company with a B-segment premium crossover. But it's priced very similarly to the MINI Countryman, which is just a few inches longer. What's more, there's going to be an abundance little crossovers with nice tech coming from VW Group's MQB A0 laboratory.
So while no timeframe has been given for the XC20, its development is subject to change as the market moves around. Green has at least confirmed the availability of the 1.5-liter turbocharged 3-cylinder engine, which seems like the perfect match for this size of crossover.
Without at least a concept car or a prototype, however, the XC20 remains a "what if" rather than a "when and where." But Volvo is ideally placed, both regarding brand perception and engineering, to take advantage of this small crossover trend.
So the Swedes are now thinking about a rival for the Audi Q2. Volvo's head of development, Henrik Green, revealed to Autocar magazine that the 20-series range might be on the cars in a recent interview.
“It’s not a problem to have an XC20. The CMA platform can be made smaller,” he said. And so the baby crossover would be based on the same architecture as the next-gen V40 or the XC40.
The Compact Modular Architecture is also being used by Chinese brand Lynk & Co to make some pretty stunning looking designs. So Geely is getting its money's worth.
Audi is technically the only company with a B-segment premium crossover. But it's priced very similarly to the MINI Countryman, which is just a few inches longer. What's more, there's going to be an abundance little crossovers with nice tech coming from VW Group's MQB A0 laboratory.
So while no timeframe has been given for the XC20, its development is subject to change as the market moves around. Green has at least confirmed the availability of the 1.5-liter turbocharged 3-cylinder engine, which seems like the perfect match for this size of crossover.
Without at least a concept car or a prototype, however, the XC20 remains a "what if" rather than a "when and where." But Volvo is ideally placed, both regarding brand perception and engineering, to take advantage of this small crossover trend.
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