The new Volvo XC40 small SUV has been named the 2018 European Car of the Year. It is the first win of this prestigious award for Volvo Cars, the premium car maker.
“Winning this award with our new XC40 is perfect timing,” said Hakan Samuelsson, President and CEO of Volvo Cars. “Volvo now has three globally available SUVs in its range for the first time. The XC40 will be a strong contributor to further growth, taking us into a new and fast-growing small SUV segment.”
The XC40 win means that the complete line-up of new global Volvo SUVs has each been named Car of the Year in either Europe or North America. Both the large XC90 and mid-size XC60 were awarded the North American Truck/Utility of the Year title. That happened in the past two years.
The 2018 European Car of the Year award follows other recent recognition for the XC40.
The XC40 sets a new standard in its segment in terms of design, connectivity and safety technology. Early orders are in excess of 20,000 cars across Europe and the US. That indicates that this is an appealing combination for customers. The XC40 roll-out will soon extend to China – the world’s biggest car market. There Volvo is expecting similar strong interest as experienced until now.
The XC40 is the first model on Volvo Cars’ new compact modular vehicle architecture (CMA), which will underpin all upcoming cars in the 40 series, including fully electrified vehicles. Co-developed together with Geely, CMA provides the company with the necessary economies of scale for this segment.
The new Volvo XC40 small SUV became the 2018 European Car of the Year
The XC40 is also the first Volvo to come with a car-sharing feature. The feature enables via Volvo’s digital key technology and its connected services platform, Volvo On Call. XC40 owners can simply share their car with family and friends without having to hand over a physical key.
In another first, the XC40 launched Volvo Cars’ new subscription service, Care by Volvo, which offers car access via a monthly flat-fee subscription rather than ownership. Care by Volvo makes having a car as transparent, easy and hassle-free as having a mobile phone.
Safety and driver-assistance features on the XC40 include Volvo Cars’ Pilot Assist system, City Safety, Run-off-Road Protection and Mitigation, Cross Traffic Alert with brake support, and the 360° camera that helps drivers manoeuvre their car into tight parking spaces.
The XC40 also offers ingenious interior design and storage ideas. There is more functional storage space in the doors and under the seats as well as a special space for phones (including inductive charging). Plus there is a foldout hook for small bags and a removable waste bin in the tunnel console.
In 2017, the company announced its commitment to electrify all Volvo Cars launched from 2019
In line with this leadership position in electrification, a hybridised as well as a pure electric powertrain option for the XC40 will be added later. More details will be available in due course.
Winning Car of the Year 2018 was the perfect start to this year’s #GimsSwiss. Follow us at 11:00 CET today for updates from our press conference. #VolvoCarsGIMS pic.twitter.com/AzkJ8fckcB
— Volvo Cars (@volvocars) March 6, 2018
