Volvo launches global small car strategy

Volvo has launched its new global small car strategy, unveiling two new concept cars to lead the manufacturer in a new direction.

The 40 series concepts were designed to demonstrate ‘how Volvo plans to expand into the large and lucrative global market for premium small cars’.

Volvo has claimed that the new cars will feature ‘industry leading’ connectivity, as well as electric and autonomous technology.

The cars will be built on Volvo’s new Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) and the manufacturer has confirmed that the small car range will include a pure battery electric vehicle as well as twin engine plug-in hybrid powertrain variants.

Dr Peter Mertens, senior vice president research and development at Volvo, said: “By taking a modular approach to both vehicle architecture and powertrain development we have succeeded in leap-frogging many of the players in the premium segment. Our new battery electric powertrain variant opens yet another exciting chapter in the unfolding Volvo story.”

Håkan Samuelsson, president and chief executive at Volvo, said: “The new 40 series cars have the potential to improve our market penetration in an important growing segment. An electric powertrain program including both a new compact Twin Engine plug-in hybrid as well as a pure electric car are central to the CMA architecture.”

Read more