It has been reported that Volvo is planning to roll out a brand new SUV which will be called the XC40. This car will be using the all new Volvo platform known as Scalable Platform Architecture (SPA). This exotic car will be ready in about 5 years from now.
AB Volvo was established in the year 1915 in Sweden. Its automaking division came up in the year 1927. The first car made by Volvo was popularly called as Jakob. In the year 1999 Volvo was sold to Ford Motor Company. In the year 2010, Volvo was sold again, this time by Ford, to Geeley Automobile.
The much talked about new platform, SPA, will be utilized by Volvo for its future ventures. The first car to receive this will be the one succeeding XC90. This new variant is expected to reach the market in 2014.
XC90 is one of the best selling models made by Volvo. It is a luxury SUV that was launched in the year 2003. In the year 2005, it became the Volvo’s best seller in USA with a sale of more than 85,000 units. XC90 as well as XC60 both use a P2 platform which is common with all of Volvo’s larger cars.
The global market has changed drastically since the launch of these midsized SUVs. The vehicles which seem to be ruling the market are smaller sized power packed cars. Audi Q3 and Range Rover Evoque are some of the models that are doing exceptionally well in the market. This “downsizing” concept that is prevailing made Volvo take this decision to launch a XC40 which will fill in the gap in its lineup.
Volvo seems to be targeting Ranger Rover Evoque specially. This car is an example that smaller size does not mean lesser features and amenities. The original Ranger Rover was a larger sized car. The Evoque variant curbed down the size, while maintaining the specifications. This consistency with a newer look made the car very popular. The car sold around 88,000 units in its 1st year after launch.
Volvo will be doing the same. It is trying to cut down the size of XC90 and XC60 and produce a smaller SUV, XC40. The SPA platform is the core of this new car. It is divided into 5 sections. The sections are placed between the A pillars and around the centre of the front wheels. This arrangement carries the transmission as well as the engine. This platform will also take electric rear axles as well as an all wheel drive. It will take only the newer 4 cylinder engines.