The smaller planned model, the C40, is a sporty-looking version of Volvo’s fastest-growing model in the U.S., the XC40 compact crossover. XC40 sales last year jumped 42 percent to 17,654 vehicles.
The battery-powered C40 was described by dealers as a conquest vehicle aimed at millennials.
“It’s going to be a price-point leader,” one dealer said. “It’s going to be a lease leader. It’s going to be an affordability vehicle.”
The C40 will fit the space previously occupied by specialty and sporty coupes such as the Volvo C70 or the Bertone Coupe, Fiorani said.
“Filling these niches brings the brand to the attention of younger buyers who will, hopefully, move up to something larger when they settle down and have kids,” he said.
The C40 is expected to arrive in the second half of 2021 as part of a fleet of Volvo EVs now in the pipeline, according to the dealers who attended the presentation. The battery-powered XC40 Recharge P8 will arrive in U.S. stores this year. And an electric XC60 crossover could arrive in 2021, followed by an XC90 EV.
According to dealer descriptions, the C40 will have a sloping roofline and an updated taillamp design and will feature an EV-inspired grille design. That grille will debut on the XC40 Recharge P8.
The new design swaps the traditional slotted grille for a partially closed-off, more aerodynamic one since there is no internal-combustion engine to cool.
Dealers described the C40 as a “niche” model that the manufacturer expects to sell about 8,000 of a year.
“It helps tell our story on electrification,” one of the dealers said. “I think it will attract some new people.”
