Volvo's new XC60 premieres at Geneva Auto Salon

Dubai / Cairo / Goeteborg

It seems that this year some SUV and Cross-over coupe buyers in Egypt and the Middle East will postpone their purchase decision until early 2009 after they see the pictures of the new Volvo XC60.

"It's not only the safest Volvo ever. If you ask me, it's also the most stunning. Not a bad combination, is it?" says Volvo Cars President and CEO Fredrik Arp. The new XC60 has its premiere showing at the international car show in Geneva on March 4 and the first cars will reach dealers in Europe in autumn 2008.

Volvo Cars' new crossover steps boldly into what is the motoring world's toughest and fastest-growing segment, boasting an exciting mix of two car styles. Down below, the unmistakable, capable XC muscles are pumped up, creating a strong athletic body mated with high ground clearance and large wheels.

Up above, the flowing lines create the sporty charisma of a coupe.
"This car is charged with more emotive form and more energy than any other Volvo. We're elevating our design DNA to an entirely new level by literally turning up the visual volume. If you say that you'd recognize a Volvo from a hundred meters away today, I dare say the XC60 radiates a clear Volvo presence from at least twice that distance," says Volvo Cars Design Director Steve Mattin.



A variety of intelligent safety systems are another important part of the XC60 model's special character. The big news is City Safety - a unique feature that can help the driver avoid or reduce the effects of the type of low-speed impacts that are common in city traffic and traffic tailbacks. If the car is about to drive into the vehicle in front and the driver does not react, the car brakes itself.

"We are the first manufacturer in the world to offer this type of feature as standard. City Safety clearly advertises that the new XC60 is the safest car Volvo has ever produced. The car is packed with our accumulated safety know-how and technology, both when it comes to preventing accidents and protecting all the occupants in a collision," says Fredrik Arp.

The XC60 project has its sights set on a target group that imposes high demands on design, brand integrity and high-tech content in its choice of lifestyle products.

"One might say that this could be the C30 owner's next car. It's as sporty and exciting, but way more capable. With the XC60, we're widening our model range to attract even more customers with an active urban lifestyle," explains Fredrik Arp.

“We have great expectations for the XC60 in the Middle East. SUVs and cross over models are very appealing cars for this region’s market and the new XC60 will shake a lot of Volvo’s prejudices” said Roula Beiruty, Volvo cars marketing manager in the Middle East. “The XC60 will officially launch in the Middle East early 2009” she added.

And due to the fact that a lot of customers in Egypt and the Middle East region chose their new cars by the looks, we at Auto Arabia expect this new Volvo to grab a large market share from its other competitors like the BMW X5 and the Mercedes ML.

Unfortunately though it seems that the Volvo XC 60 will not play such an important role in Egypt as in the other Middle Eastern countries, due to the missing exposure of Volvo in the Egyptian market as well as the lacking public and media awareness towards Volvo's brand image and safety reputation.