Volvo V40 and V40 Cross Country to restructure premium hatchback market in Middle East and North Africa

Volvo cars are well-known for their trendy Scandinavian luxury look and feel with class-leading safety and driving dynamics, such as the pedestrian airbag.

With those attributes Volvo Middle East will try to overtake the competition in the GCC premium hatchback market with its all-new Volvo V40, which had its official debut in the UAE last week.

With characteristics from larger Volvos wrapped in a sleek, compact package, Volvos says it is a modern, expressive car, combining trendsetting design with class-leading driving dynamics.

Inspired by Volvo’s human-centric “Designed Around You” strategy, Volvo assures that the all-new Volvo V40 with its R-design and Cross Country variants is considered the most intelligent and safest car in the world, boasting unprecedented safety and driver support features including Park Assist Pilot, Lane Keeping Aid, Enhanced Blind Spot Information System, Cross Traffic Alert, Pedestrian Detection with full auto brake as well as the world’s first Pedestrian Airbag Technology.

“The Volvo V40 is the first new model that is fully developed according to our human-centric, ‘Designed Around You’ strategy that summarizes our approach to understanding people. It is more than just a compact hatchback; it can be personalized to fit all needs”, said Emre Karaer, Sales and Marketing Director at Volvo Middle East. “The car is loaded with features that buyers of modern luxury cars want. It attracts you with its sleek, dynamic exterior. It wraps you in a super-comfortable cockpit with outstanding ergonomics and technology that makes you feel informed and relaxed, yet focused. This driver-centric approach is what modern Volvos are all about”, he added.

Park Assist Pilot - making parallel parking easy
The new Park Assist Pilot makes parallel parking easy and precise by taking over and operating the steering wheel while the driver handles the gearbox and controls the car's speed. The parking manoeuvre is based on front, rear and side-facing ultrasonic sensors.

Lane Keeping Aid - active help to stay on course
The new Lane Keeping Aid in the V40 helps the driver stay in the intended lane. This feature applies extra steering torque to the steering column when the car gets close to a lane marking and is about to leave the lane. The system is active at speeds between 65 km/h and 200 km/h.

Pedestrian Airbag Technology - a world first
In order to mitigate the consequences if a collision with a pedestrian is unavoidable, the Volvo V40 features newly developed Pedestrian Airbag Technology, a world first. Sensors in the front bumper register the physical contact between the car and the pedestrian. The rear end of the bonnet is released and at the same time elevated by the deploying airbag.
The inflated airbag covers the area under the raised bonnet plus approximately one third of the windscreen area and the lower part of the A-pillar. The raised bonnet and airbag will help reduce the severity of pedestrian injuries. Cars with the Pedestrian Airbag technology are available in our region upon request.

Enhanced Blind Spot Information System - for better visibility
The V40 is the first Volvo to offer the enhanced Blind Spot Information System (BLIS), which is radar-based. The technology can now also monitor and alert the driver to rapidly approaching vehicles up to 70 m behind the car. Of course it still informs the driver about vehicles in blind spots on both sides of the car.

Cross Traffic Alert - covering your back
Cross Traffic Alert uses the radar sensors at the rear end of the car to alert the driver to crossing traffic from the sides when reversing out of a parking space. This is especially helpful in tight and crowded areas where the side view might be limited due to infrastructure, vegetation or other parked cars.

Pedestrian Detection - unique in this class
Pedestrian Detection with full auto brake is a technology that can detect if a pedestrian steps out into the road in front of the car. If the driver does not respond in time, the car can give a warning and automatically activate the brakes. No other car in this class features a similar technology.

So, will the V40 be able to outperform its other established competitors such as the BMW 1 series, the Audi A3 or the Mercedes A-Class? And will the V40 Cross Country by able to overtake the BMW X1 and the other competitors in its segment?

Well, the first impression indicates that the chances are not bad at all and this is what we are going to find out very soon in a comprehensive and detailed test-drive feature, as Auto Arabia is the first media in the Middle East to test-drive the V40 on the Middle Eastern roads, here in Dubai.

Stay tuned for more very soon.

MS
22.04.2013
Dubai - Cairo - Gothenburg