Volvo killed off its last-generation V40 station wagon in 2004, replacing it with the recently terminated (in the U.S., at least) V50. That leaves the Swedish automaker with a hole in its product line, a gap that competitors will gladly fill.
To solve this, Volvo’s CEO, Stefan Jacoby, has confirmed that the automaker will launch an all-new V40 five-door to compete with the BMW 1-Series and the Audi A3. The V40 will break cover at March’s Geneva Motor Show.
While we can’t tell much from the wrapped silhouette shown above, it looks like the V40 will borrow front-end styling cues from the S60 sedan, which we say is a good thing. We like the upswept character line and gently sloping roof, too, so the V40 probably won’t disappoint in the looks department.
It’s almost certain that the new V40 is the same animal as the camouflaged, C30-based test mule we’ve brought you a spy video of. Rumor has it that the V40 will even spawn a crossover version to take on the likes of the Subaru Outback.
Since Volvo has declared its intentions to move to four-cylinder engines across its product lineup, we expect the V40 to debut with a 2.0-litre, direct-injection four banger instead of the company’s currently ubiquitous five-cylinder.
