Geely’s Volvo Cars has introduced its three cylinder, petrol Drive-E powertrain in the XC40, its recently launched first entry into the compact SUV segment.

The company launched the first of a series of new four cylinder, petrol and diesel, Drive-E branded engines back in 2014 and this new powertrain is the first I3 in the Chinese owned, Swedish automaker’s 91 year history.

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The completely new 1.5-litre, direct-injection engine was developed in house using the same modular design as the I4 Drive-E engines. The three pot motor (badged T3) comes initially only with a six-speed manual transmission (boo) but an eight-speed automatic (yay) will follow next year.
For economies of scale, the engine is made on the same production lines as the I4s.

“Our new three cylinder engine is an exciting development for the XC40 and for Volvo Cars in general,” said Alexander Petrofski, the automaker’s ‘senior director Cluster 40’.

“This compact engine design provides the flexibility we need as we introduce more powertrain options for XC40 customers.”

The current D3 (despite the label, it’s a four) 150hp diesel and T4 (actually a four) 190hp petrol engines are now also available in the XC40 which was launched last September.

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Better yet, the new I3 was designed for integration into ‘Twin Engine’ plug-in hybrid cars from both Volvo and the parent Geely brand. Both hybrid and full battery electric powertrains for the XC40 are coming later. Volvo’s current hybrids blend either I4 diesel (V60) or petrol (XC60 and XC90 T8) engines with electric motors located at the front or rear of the vehicle depending on the platform. The SPA architecture based XC60 and XC90 T8s have the GKN-supplied e-axle electric motor pack driving the rear wheels; the XC40 Twin Engine on the CMA platform (shared with Geely) will have the electric motor up front.

Volvo also now offers new entry-level Momentum, sporty R-Design and luxurious Inscription trim levels for the XC40.

UK prices for the XC40 T3 start at GBP27,905 on the road. First customer deliveries are expected this summer.