NEW DELHI: Swedish car manufacturer Volvo Cars on Thursday launched its XC40premium SUV at Milano in Italy, along with its first car subscription model Volvo Care.
Based on a new CMA platform, the small premium SUV has safety features that are a carryover from its big brothers as well as small functionalities developed along with customers, said Hakan Samuelsson President & CEO.
“It has a lot of small smart solutions in the interiors that are intended for the fastest growing small premium SUV segment and is the right product solution for it,” he added.
This new CMA platform will be also used for developing other small car models of Volvo, according to Senior VP design-Robin Page. He spoke about the XC40 having its own DNA and design language created from building blocks and strong graphics that gave its SUV look and Scandinavian premium feel.
As part of Volvo Care, the premium carmaker has also revealed the world’s first car subscription model, where one has to pay a flat subscription fee that will be same for all countries without any need for negotiations.
There will also be no difference related to customer’s age or geographical positions in Volvo Care. Everything will be included in the Volvo Care package — repair, maintenance and wheels and there will also be a package of convenience services that will be available through a connected con-call app.
After 24 months, one can get a new car, similar to the mobile phone service option, a service that has found favour in the car industry.
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Anders Gustafsson, Senior V-P, Europe, Volvo Car Group, Americas spoke about the XC40 project having started two years ago. He underlined the need to have a clear difference between lease and subscription, saying that if a customer wanted to change their car for a couple of days, then he or she could get a larger model from Volvo’s product portfolio. “Why we are doing it because this segment is very competitive, and the product will do the job and we would like to change the industry.”
The Lead Exterior Designer Ian Kettle termed the XC40 as a modern product and narrated how the modern design came to him during the conceptualisation stage and was best exemplified by science fiction movies due to their modern robotic design.
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