Volvo V40 Cross Country Preview
Volvo is looking to increase its share in the growing Indian
automotive market. The company is already mulling the prospect of setting up an
assembly plant in the country and is currently conducting a feasibility study
in this regard. The Swedish carmaker aims
to sell 20,000 units per year in India by 2020, bringing their numbers closer
to that of the German trio- Audi, BMW and Mercedes.
Volvo plans to launch a range of new products in India to
achieve this targets and their next vehicle will be the V40 Cross Country. It
is basically an entry-level compact crossover – one that will compete with the
BMW X1 and the Audi Q3. With the astonishing growth seen in the demand for
entry-level luxury cars, we think this is Volvo’s best bet to firmly establish
itself in India.
The Cross Country is a toughened up version of the V40
hatchback with 40mm additional ground clearance. The looks of the car are also
altered a bit to make it look a bit more rugged. The crossover gets bigger
alloy-wheels with chunky tyres, body claddings, roof rails, skid plate and
blackened rear view mirrors.
The five-seater Cross Country comes with 40/60 folding rear
seats for extra space. It is equipped with safety features like pedestrian
detection, auto braking and city safety which have won the Euro NCAP Advanced
Award. The V40 Cross Country is equipped with AWD and hill descent control for
decent off-roading capabilities.
The European spec versions of the crossover are available
with four diesel engine options in the range of 1.6-litres to 2.5-litres with
varying outputs. However, in India we are expecting just the 1.6-litre petrol
and 2.0-litre diesel engine options.
The petrol engine is a turbocharged unit producing 180bhp
and 240Nm of torque. The oilburner is also turbocharged unit developing 177bhp
and 400Nm of torque. Both the engines will be mated to six-speed automatic
gearbox; unfortunately we might not get the AWD variants in India.
We expect Volvo to launch the new V40 Cross Country in India
by March for a price tag of close to Rs 24 lakh. On pricing it will slot in
between the Mercedes B-Class and the BMW X1 and will be the new entry-level
Volvo car below the S60.