autoevolution
 

Volvo Continues to Tease 40 Series Family

Before the Chinese at Geely took control of Volvo and made it the brand it is today, the Swedish manufacturer was as hip as a dad dancing to Macarena at an office party. The newfound hipness has been taken to a side-splitting extreme, though, the moment the automaker discovered Snapchat.
Volvo XC40, V40, S40 teasers 7 photos
Photo: Volvo on Snapchat
Volvo XC40, V40, S40 teasersVolvo XC40, V40, S40 teasersVolvo XC40, V40, S40 teasersVolvo XC40, V40, S40 teasersVolvo XC40, V40, S40 teasersVolvo XC40, V40, S40 teasers
Be that as it may, the big news is that Volvo is preparing to launch a couple of concepts by the end of the month. The design studies are understood to be compact in size. Put plainly, the concepts are our first taste of the new 40 Series, namely the V40 hatchbach, XC40 crossover, and S40 sedan.

From the previous series of teasers, we found out that the design studies are adorned with Thor’s Hammer LED headlights and a gloss black-painted front grille. This time around, we can see a couple of large air intakes which house LED fog lights, plastic cladding on all four corners, a tailgate-mounted spoiler, and taillights inspired by those of the Volvo XC90 mid-size SUV.

The biggest surprise teased by Volvo on this occasion is the photograph of a chassis. The orange cables and battery are tell-tale signs the carmaker will offer the next-generation compact models in PHEV form. It’s a natural move, to be honest, more so if you consider that the XC90 sport utility vehicle, S90 sedan, and V90 wagon are available with the T8 Twin Engine powertrain.

To ride on the all-new Compact Modular Architecture (CMA), the Volvo V40, XC40, and S40 will be animated by a selection of turbocharged, twin-turbo, and twin-charged three- and four-cylinder engines, gasoline and diesel alike. The range-topping powertrain is rumored to wear the T5 Twin Engine handle. If my intuition is correct, the V40, XC40, and S40 in T5 Twin Engine form will employ a 180 PS 1.5-liter Drive-E three-cylinder engine, a 55 kW (75 PS) electric motor, and a seven-speed dual-clutch box.

Total system output will stand at 250 PS (246 horsepower) and approximately 400 Nm (295 lb-ft). In pure electric mode, range is expected to exceed 50 kilometers (31 miles). A big difference between the T5 Twin Engine and T8 Twin Engine powertrains is that the new kid on the block sends power only to the front wheels because the electric motor is positioned within the engine bay. The chassis teased by Volvo on Snapchat confirms the front-engined, front-wheel-drive layout due to the lack of a rear planetary drive axle.
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories