Volvo Cars president and CEO Fredrik Arp says of the new XC60 ‘sporty crossover’ due to be unveiled at the Geneva motor show next month: “It’s not only the safest Volvo ever. If you ask me, it’s also the most stunning.”
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Volvo’s new crossover vehicle boasts an exciting mix of two car styles and steps boldly into what is the motoring world’s toughest and fastest-growing segment. Sporting capable XC muscles, it combines a strong athletic body with high ground clearance and large wheels, while the flowing lines create the sporty charisma of a coupe.
“If you say that you’d recognise a Volvo from a hundred metres away today, I dare say the XC60 radiates a clear Volvo presence from at least twice that distance,” says design director Steve Mattin.
The key new feature renowned for pioneering safety technology is so-called City Safety – claimed as a unique system that can help the driver avoid or reduce the effects of the type of low-speed impacts that are common in city traffic and traffic tailbacks.
If the car is about to drive into the vehicle in front and the driver does not react, the car brakes itself.
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By GlobalDataThis sounds similar in principle to the pre-crash safety systems already available on top Lexus models but Volvo insists its new technology is uinique.
“We are the first manufacturer in the world to offer this type of feature as standard. The new [model] is the safest car Volvo has ever produced. [It] is packed with our accumulated safety know-how and technology, both when it comes to preventing accidents and protecting all the occupants in a collision,” added Arp.
Arp suggested that the XC60 would be the next step up for owners of Volvo’s recently launched entry-level C30 hatchback model.
“One might say that this could be the C30 owner’s next car. It’s as sporty and exciting, but more capable. With the XC60, we are widening our model range to attract even more customers with an active urban lifestyle.”
The XC60 will be launched with an initial choice of three engines: the turbocharged 285PS petrol T6 and two versions of the proven D5 turbodiesel, producing 185 and 163 horsepower respectively. All-Wheel Drive (AWD) is standard.
“During 2009, we will offer a front-wheel drive 2.4-litre version powered by a Euro 5 diesel engine producing 163 horsepower and with a CO2 target around 170 g/km,” Arp said.
The global sales target for the new XC60 is over 50,000 cars a year. The five largest markets during the expected peak year of 2010 will be the USA, Germany, Great Britain, Russia and China.
The car will be built at in Ghent, Belgium, and European sales (including right-hand drive from October here in the UK) start during the second half of 2008. North America sales begin in early 2009.
