Reference Auto

So, Swedish luxury carmaker Volvo, which till date is yet to get a firm foothold in the country’s car market, has rolled out its crossover, the Volvo V40 Cross Country, for a price of Rs 28.5 lakh in an attempt to eat into the share of luxury car majors, especially Audi and BMW.

Volvo, which hopes to sell 1,200 cars this year, has priced its crossover hatchback at almost similar to BMW’s X1, which carries a price tag from Rs 27.5 lakh to Rs 32 lakh. But BMW comes with a price advantage and this could be a worry for Volvo, which is attempting to get a grip in India’s lucrative auto market.

The Volvo V40 Cross Country is propelled by a 2 litre, 5 cylinder diesel engine. The company claims the car can give a mileage of over 16 km per litre, which sounds good for a luxury hatch.

Volvo is a brand, which is known for the safety features it offers on its cars and an awareness campaign on this front could see many buyers flocking for the V40.

The Volvo V40 has a number of airbags and comes with City Safety, where a car would brake automatically at slow speeds if it foresees a possible collision with another car. This is mind blowing technology and could give the V40 an edge over its competitors.

There’s also the self-parking feature, which is only present in the Volkswagen Passat as of now. Other features in the V40 are keyless entry and start, a sunroof along with a reversing camera. These are usually not offered as standard by competitor car companies.

So far as the interiors go, the Volvo V40 rids itself of the old-fashioned dashboard and the inside (the dashboard included) has a futuristic look.

The driver interface is easy to use. Also, choice of colour from beige, copper and shades of brown gives the V40’s looks a fillip.

The V40’s seats are pretty comfortable and the space inside seems great. The rear legroom is commendable. However, the back head and shoulder room could have been better.

An optimistic Volvo Auto India managing director Tomas Ernberg said, “The new Volvo car will bring in new impetus to our growth plan in the country. So far, we have bookings for 70 cars and our target is to sell about 120 cars of the new V40 this year.”

He also revealed that last year, the company sold 800 cars in total, and this year, Volvo hopes to raise the figure to 1,200 cars.

The MD said two launches are in the pipeline, which include fresh models of sedan S60 and SUV XC60. Volvo hopes to make a mark in India quickly and this will hinge on the sales of these three cars.

Volvo Auto India, which sells four models, XC90, XC60 (SUV), S80 and S60 (sedan) in the country, hopes to raise sales to a whopping 20,000 cars by 2020.

The Volvo V40 Cross Country, with its moderate pricing and great (and unique) safety and other features along with looks, could eat into the share of other luxury brands in the medium term provided an awareness strategy is charted by the car maker.

Volvo has become a brand name in India so far its buses are concerned, and now, it is banking on the country’s market to drive sales of its premium sedan S60 that carries a price tag of between Rs 27 lakh and Rs 34 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

The T6 twin-turbo petrol variant comes with a 304 bhp@5,600 rpm and a 44.6 kgm from only 2,100 rpm. Being the sole turbo petrol six-cylinder car in its segment, the T6 could soon become a major contender.

It can reach from 0 to 100 kmph in 6.5 seconds and touch a top speed of 250 kmph. These features are almost similar to peers like BMW 330i and the A4 3.2 V6. The T6 will have an all-wheel drive and a six-speed automatic gearbox will be a standard feature.

Meanwhile, the D5 is propelled by a 2.4-litre twin-turbo, straight-five diesel motor with 205 bhp@4,000 rpm and a huge 42 kgm@1,500-3,240 rpm. Performance from this car is commendable – from start to 100 kmph, it takes just 7.8 seconds and has a top speed of 230 kmph.

The design is awesome and even the technology is great. The Volvo S60 also comes with a string of safety features and would surely become a bellwether of sorts at the lower-end luxury cars segment.

Even though bookings have just touched a century, Paul de Voijs, managing director of Volvo Auto India, is bullish that the company’s cars are on their upward journey.

The S60 will vie with Mercedes C-class, BMW and Audi’s A4. Volvo fans have reason to cheer as the sedan will be available in Volvo’s seven outlets across the country this month itself.

The diesel variant will slug it out with the likes of the BMW 320d and the Audi A4 3.0 TDI models. Owing to the popularity of diesel cars in India, the S60 diesel could be selling more than the petrol variant.

Just like Cadbury has become synonymous with chocolate, Volvo brand has become synonymous with luxury buses in India and that too in a short while (The company has been present in India for less than a decade).

So, could Volvo replicate the strategy it adopted for its buses, which saw a roaring success, with the S60 and other car models it plans to launch in the sizzling auto market in India?

Voijs feels the move (to launch the S60) is likely have a positive impact on the company (as Volvo could project itself as a maker of quality cars, just like its coveted buses).

As of now, Volvo has four models in the Indian market: sports utility vehicle (SUV) XC 90 and XC 60 along with luxury sedans XC 90 and XC 60.

The S60 too will come with a litany of safety features including City Safety (standard feature), Pedestrian detection with auto-brake – a feature introduced for the first time by any auto major. It will also have blind lane information system, lane departure control, adaptive cruise control and cameras on corners.

Among other features, there will be an infotainment system, GPS, a premium surround sound system. The car maker will also offer three more audio systems and a slew of choices of interior along with dashboard trims.

With such eclectic features and the Volvo brand name, the auto major will be at an advantage as the S60 not only offers features that have been introduced for the first time but is also high on safety, has a diesel variant and prices are not so steep – all the attributes needed to see substantial sales in the Indian market, which has already responded well to the Volvo brand of buses.