Geneva Motor Show: Volvo V40

Volvo Car Corporation officially revealed its all-new premium five-door, five-seat hatchback, the Volvo V40 to the world's media at a press conference held during the first Press Day at the Geneva Motorshow.

"The all-new V40, a five-door, five-seater sibling to the Volvo C30, is the first new model that is fully developed according to our human-centric, Designed Around You strategy. Fully charged with a class-leading set of high-tech features it is ready to give our toughest competitors a real headache," says Stefan Jacoby, President and CEO of Volvo Car Corporation.

"Thanks to input from customers all over the world, our most compact V-range model features an outstanding blend of design, safety and versatility. The car is loaded with features that buyers of modern luxury cars want," he added.

The all-new Volvo V40 boasts class-leading driving dynamics thanks to focused attention to a number of vital areas. The chassis has been designed to offer the agile, connected experience that creates true driving pleasure.

The engine range spans everything from Volvo Car Corporation's first diesel with CO2 emissions of just 94 g/km to the turbocharged T5 petrol engine with 254 hp and acceleration from 0 to 62 mph in 6.7 seconds.

All engine versions have start-stop and braking energy regeneration, no matter whether they are fitted with a manual or automatic gearbox.

The all-new Volvo V40 has two different chassis setups:
The Dynamic chassis is standard. The rigid body and low centre of gravity promote an alert, quick-responding character that focuses on the driving experience, yet without compromising ride comfort. The front McPherson struts have the same 25 mm piston rods as the Volvo S60. The stiffness enables the structure to absorb lateral loads better.

At the rear the V40 has monotube dampers, featuring compression and return damping via the same valve. This gives shorter, faster fluid flow, which in turn means that the damper responds more quickly.

The Sport chassis is lowered 10 mm compared with the Dynamic chassis. Springs and shock absorbers have a firmer setting, resulting in responsive driving pleasure with full control.

The five-cylinder 2.5-litre turbocharged T5 engine has a power output of 254 hp and 400 Nm of torque, including 40 Nm overboost delivered during acceleration. To achieve low fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, internal friction has been reduced. The T5 comes with automatic transmission and acceleration from 0-62 mph takes 6.7 seconds. Fuel consumption is 35.8 mpg (EU Combined).

The mid-range offer includes two versions of a 1.6-litre GTDi engine: T4 with 180 horsepower and T3 with 150 horsepower.

The 180 hp engine offers maximum torque of 270 Nm, including 30 Nm overboost. This gives excellent drivability throughout the speed range. The torque curve is relatively gentle, resulting in a particularly comfortable driving experience. The 150 horsepower T3 engine offers 240 Newton metres of torque. Volvo's engine experts have managed to bring fuel consumption down to 48.7 mpg. This corresponds to CO2 emissions of 134 g/km.

The T5 version comes with a six-speed automatic gearbox, while the T4 is available in combination with the automatic six-speed Powershift transmission or a six-speed manual gearbox. The T3 comes with a manual gearbox. Powershift operates in principle as two parallel manual gearboxes with separate clutches, a system that provides quick and fuel-saving gear changes.

The five-cylinder 2.0-litre D4 turbodiesel has been optimised for fuel-efficient driving pleasure. The piezoelectric fuel valves keep fuel consumption to a minimum thanks to exceptionally fast and precise injection pulses under high pressure. This results in efficient combustion. In order to give the car better driving properties, the turbocharger has been fine-tuned for high torque from low revs.

This engine delivers 177 hp and has torque of 400 Nm across a wide rpm range. Acceleration from 0-62 mph takes 8.3 seconds with the automatic gearbox (8.6 sec with manual). Fuel consumption and CO2 emissions is 62.8 mpg (119 g/km) with a manual gearbox and 53.3 mpg (139 g/km) with the automatic (EU Combined).

In addition there is the 2.0-litre D3 producing 150 hp and 350 Nm of torque. Both turbodiesels are available with a six-speed automatic transmission or six-speed manual gearbox.

The D2 version of the Volvo V40 comes with CO2 emissions as low as 94 g/km - corresponding to fuel consumption of just 78.8 mpg. The 1.6-litre diesel engine has 115 hp and 285 Nm of torque, including 15 Nm overboost. The D2 engine is combined with a six-speed manual gearbox and start/stop function.

Prices and specification will be announced at the end of March with customers able to place orders by the end of April. Production starts in May, with customer cars being delivered in September.