SPYSHOTS: Volvo XC40 test mule captured once again

Here is another look at a test mule of the coming Volvo XC40 compact SUV. We first spied the vehicle back in October 2015 when it was undergoing its first rolling tests in Sweden. As it was back then, the body of this prototype belongs to a pre-facelift Volvo V40 hatch, so don’t read too much into its design just yet.

What visibly sets this test mule apart as the XC40 compact SUV is its extended length and noticeably higher, SUV-like ground clearance. If you look closely at the rear doors, you can see the seams for the additional body work that extends the vehicle’s overall length – this is presumably due to its new Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) being longer than the current model’s platform.

The XC40 SUV is expected to be in showrooms by 2017 as Volvo continues to refresh its entire line-up. It is said that by then, the most senior model in the Swedish marque’s range will be the current XC90.

“We want to build a broader range of ’40’ cars,” said Hakan Samuelsson, president and CEO of Volvo Cars, earlier in December 2015. “Today we only have the hatchback, but we want more, and with the technology that we’re working on, we will have the means to expand the line-up.” Clearly, Volvo’s 40 Series of cars won’t end with a new compact SUV alone.

Two major tech items that Samuelsson was most likely referring to may be the brand’s new CMA platform and T5 Twin Engine powertrain. The former is a modular architecture that will be used across its future 40 Series, beginning with the XC40. The latter is a 250 PS/400 Nm hybrid powertrain that combines a 1.5 litre three-cylinder engine with a 55 kW electric motor.

As mentioned, the XC40 test mule here is likely to already be equipped with the new CMA platform, while it’s anyone’s guess as to what powertrain is being tested. At some point in the future, it wouldn’t surprise us at all to see the XC40 offer the new T5 Twin Engine powertrain. Beyond this, the brand’s future 40 Series is expected to add a compact sedan as well, and not forgetting an all-new V40 hatch by 2019.

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