The Sweden-based automotive giant, Volvo, is all set to launch its V40 Cross Country Crossover Utility Vehicle in India on June 14, 2013. After the official launch, the car will be made available to the customers in both diesel and petrol options. This new model will mark the car maker's foray into the youth-oriented crossover segment. The car maker plans to launch the new model with two powertrains in the country. First model will be the T4 petrol version, served by the 1.6 litre GTDi powertrain that is capable of belting out a maximum power output of 180 bhp and peak torque of 270 Nm. The other model will be the D3 diesel model served by 2 litre diesel powertrain that can produce 149.9 bhp of power.
This crossover model will feature start/stop function and braking energy regeneration as a standard feature in both petrol and diesel variants. On the security front, the Volvo V40 Cross Country will come fitted with features like City Safety and auto braking technology. Also, the model will be first-of-its kind to come equipped with Pedestrian Detection technology and Pedestrian Air Bag Technology. The car maker will position the new model to compete with stalwarts like Mercedes B-Class and BMW X1. Thus, it is expected that model will come with a price tag in the range of INR 23-25 lakh for the base variants.
However, the Swedish car maker does not yet have a Completely Knocked Down (CKD) kit assembly plant in the country. As such, the vehicle will be imported through Completely Built Unit (CBU) route from Volvo manufacturing plant located in Ghent, Belgium. This will forego any chance of pricing the new model competitively, as CBU units demand a premium over the actual price as compared to the CKD units.
The yet-to-be launched Cross Country model was exhibited globally and made its debut at the Paris Motor Show in 2012. This model is quite similar to the V40 hatchback in terms of dimensions and other aspects. However, the crossover model has an advantage of 40 mm in terms of ground clearance as compared to the V40 hatchback. Similar example of a hatchback being transformed into a crossover model is that of the Volkswagen Cross Polo, which is quite popular in the European automotive market.
