The new Volvo XC40 earns the 2018 European Car of the Year award



Volvo’s latest and smallest SUV, the XC40 has been named the 2018 European Car of the Year – the first win of this prestigious award for Volvo Cars.

“Winning this award with our new XC40 is perfect timing,” said President and CEO of Volvo Cars, Håkan Samuelsson. “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.”Early orders for the new XC40 have been in excess of 20,000 cars across Europe and the US, indicating its positive appeal. The XC40 roll-out will soon extend to China, where Volvo is expecting similar strong interest.

The XC40 is the first model built on Volvo Car’s Compact Modular Vehicle Architecture (CMA), which will be the basis for upcoming cars in the 40 Series, including fully electrified vehicles.

The XC40 is the first Volvo with a car-sharing feature, via Volvo’s digital key technology which will allow owners to share their car without handing over the physical key. The XC40 also launched Volvo Car’s new subscription service, Care by Volvo, which offers access to their cars via a monthly flat-fee subscription rather than ownership.

Safety and driver assistance systems 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 park in tight spaces.

The XC40 is possibly most well-known for its ingenious interior design and storage ideas with more storage space in the doors and under the seats, a slot for phones for inductive charging and a removable dustbin 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.


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