2012 Geneva Motor Show: Volvo V40 revealed

Volvo was forced to reveal a lot of details about the new V40 hatchback after a series of leaked images and videos. The hatchback was officially unveiled yesterday alongside its main competitors – new Mercedes A-Class and Audi A3. The new V40 will replace the S40 sedan and V50 estate in the European market and will certainly give more popular German cars a run for their money.

Volvo is known for building few of the safest cars in the world, and we were expecting that the new hatchback will also be laced with pioneering safety features. Volvo has not disappointed us – the V40 is armed with pedestrian airbags that pop-out of the windshield end of the bonnet in case of a collision with person or a cyclist. Of course, you really should not hit someone and hence this is the secondary feature – primarily, car will warn the driver if there is an obstacle ahead and also brake if driver fails to react on time.

The Volvo is bigger than the 1-Series and the new Audi A3 and also has quite appealing looks contrary to Swedish manufacturer’s bland image. The V40 will be available with range of petrol and diesel engine starting with low on emission 1.6-litre turbo producing 115Ps all the way to five-cylinder 254PS for pure driving pleasure. 

The company claims the ergonomics are designed around people with strong emphasis on comfort and engaging driving experience. The V40 is also available with fixed panoramic glass roof that stretches from front windscreen to the backrest of rear seats. The hatchback is also loaded with features common to this segment including lane assist, parking assist and has unique one which detects other vehicles in the dark and switches between high and low beam using the forward camera. 

Volvo plans to launch more models in India to get a bigger share in the growing luxury car market and the new V40 will probably be introduced here by the first-half of 2013.

Click Here for more details of the V40.