Volvo will launch the XC40 SUV to lead a major expansion of its small car line-up, starting in 2017. Spied here is a test-mule of a jacked up Volvo V40. The Swedish manufacturer started revamping its model range at the top end, first with the XC90 and then the S90, but by 2019 the first of those cars will be the oldest model in the company’s line-up and its baby cousin, the XC40, could well be the firm’s biggest seller.

Volvo boss Håkan Samuelsson confirmed the plan to build a small SUV and extend the ‘40’ range. “We want to build a broader range of ‘40’ cars,” he said. “Today we only have the hatchback, but we want more, and with the new technology that we’re working on, we will have the means to expand the line-up. Highest on my list is a small SUV, because that’s where the market is going.”

The XC40 will sit on Volvo’s new Compact Modular Architecture (CMA), which is being developed in partnership with the brand’s Chinese parent firm, Geely. CMA is designed to be premium enough to allow Geely to develop more upmarket products while supporting a more profitable, wider range of Volvo’s 40-series models.

These will include a successor to the Volkswagen Golf-rivalling V40 hatchback and a small saloon called S40, in effect a rival for the Audi A3 saloon and BMW’s upcoming 2-series saloon.
However, the charge is likely to be led by the XC40. It will feature an extremely upright stance, making it more of an SUV than the crossover-like Mercedes-Benz GLA and the new Infiniti QX30. It’s likely to feature a version of Volvo’s new concave front grille, but standard editions will get less sophisticated headlights than the so-called ‘Thor’s Hammer’ LED arrangement that features on the S90 and XC90.

As with the larger Scalable Platform Architecture (SPA), used under the XC90 and S90, CMA will be engineered for comfort more than outright agility. It will get a cheaper rear suspension arrangement than SPA’s composite leaf spring set-up, though – most likely a relatively simple torsion beam.

CMA will also be engineered for hybrid powertrains, with Volvo insiders claiming the firm has achieved some “strong solutions” in packaging a small electric motor along with the gearbox. Volvo is considering using a small petrol-electric hybrid powertrain in the cleanest 40-series models – with a set-up based around its new turbocharged 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine – l instead of a conventional turbodiesel.

Footage copyright Automedia

Support us on Patreon if you like: http://www.patreon.com/autogefuehl

***Playlists for latest reviews***
Our FULL REVIEWS from 2016 Q2
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZqvo5rXklBuXAqkRAT5WnvBlQqbstVZW
Our FULL REVIEWS from 2016 Q1: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZqvo5rXklBtSR1i2zC1OxpEKC6csAvY6
Our FULL REVIEWS from 2015: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZqvo5rXklBuoGOsPgdEriIVUIZf0mpZt

***Playlists for car genres***
Editor's selection: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZqvo5rXklBu5QXupPfHGk7Us_DMdYXJm
Special Autogefühl episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZqvo5rXklBtXepNh8Z6jLggfesUgYbAh
Hot hatches: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZqvo5rXklBt5BvStn3-GumdcpDk0AyWi
Acceleration: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZqvo5rXklBsxq3HS0CQeSXom8Ug08s5G
SUV: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZqvo5rXklBvM3V3EULxIMiunEY5zc9rA
Luxury cars: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZqvo5rXklBsrLqf_McZXk7dn1mZdD3bf
Performance cars: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZqvo5rXklBvjhJmuIELK7TMIfnakc-Yg
Supercars: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZqvo5rXklBspcWuuce-4mwBlG3H41HEC
Dream cars: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZqvo5rXklBt1V10v1xNTshFAgnkTuFao
Crash tests: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZqvo5rXklBvMln79a6kmvx0KpC_TDPpH

Videos: http://autogefuehl.com
German Blog: http://autogefuehl.de
Facebook: http://facebook.de/autogefuehl
Twitter: https://twitter.com/autogefuehl
Instagram: https://instagram.com/autogefuehl/