Volvo has announced a new specification structure for all its vehicles in South Africa, as well as a transition to hybrid-only powertrains in the XC40 crossover.
Moving away from the previously-used Momentum, Inscription, and R-Design model designations, each vehicle built by the Swedish manufacturer will now be offered in Essential, Plus, and Ultimate specification grades.
Furthermore, new design themes in the form of Bright (chrome detailing) and Dark (gloss-black detailing) have been introduced to “further reduce complexity and make the buying experience even easier for the customer,” said Volvo.
The XC40 as well as the XC90 line-ups are also upgraded to an Android-powered infotainment system complete with built-in Google apps and services, this system now being standard range-wide.
XC40 updates
The XC40 range for the 2023 update further gains an exterior facelift that includes new front and rear bumpers, revised headlamps, fresh alloy wheel designs, and a larger palette of paints to choose from with the addition of Fjord Blue and Sage Green, which were previously reserved for the fully-electric models.
However, the option of fitting a black roof is now only available for the battery-electric P6 and P8 variants.
Instead of the old T-badged designations that denoted petrol only, the updated XC40 line-up will now also be B-badged denoting their partially-electrified underpinnings.
Under the hood, each B-badged crossover is equipped with a 2.0-litre, turbo-petrol engine with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system, in conjunction with an eight-speed automatic gearbox.
The complete list of powertrains for the XC40 is as follows:
- B3 – 110kW/265Nm, front-wheel drive
- B4 – 145kW/300Nm, front-wheel drive
- B5 – 183kW/350Nm, all-wheel drive
- P6 – 170kW/330Nm, front-wheel drive
- P8 – 300kW/660Nm, all-wheel drive
“With local demand for electrified vehicles growing steadily, this move – along with the earlier introduction of the P6 and P8 Recharge derivatives at the top of the XC40 range – brings us neatly in line with Volvo’s global ambition of transforming into a fully electric car company by 2030,” said Greg Maruszewski, managing director at Volvo Car South Africa.
Price
The South African starting prices for Volvo’s range of vehicles are as follows:
- Volvo XC40 – R657,549
- Volvo XC60 – R958,714
- Volvo S90 – R920,700
- Volvo V90 – R1,030,700
- Volvo XC90 – R1,245,522
Each vehicle is sold with a 5-year/100,000km Volvo warranty and maintenance plan with 5-year/unlimited-kilometre roadside assistance.
2023 Volvo XC40
Keyword: Volvo announces updates for all its cars in South Africa