Saar: It will become the third model to enter production at Volvo Auto India’s plant near Bengaluru.
At the launch event of the Volvo XC40, Volvo Auto India announced that it will start producing the XC60 SUV locally within this quarter. That means it will become the third model to enter production at the company’s plant near Bengaluru. The first Volvo model which entered production (assembly) in India was the XC90 and that happened during the second half of last year. The company made an official announcement about commencing assembly operations in India in May 2017.
Apart from the XC90, Volvo also assembles the S90 sedan at its facility in Karnataka. Putting the XC60 in the same production facility is a sane move because the plant is already equipped to assemble Volvo products that are underpinned by the SPA (Scalable Product Architecture) platform. A marginal price revision for the Volvo XC60 could also be on the cards.
Presently, the Volvo XC60 is sold in just one trim level – the D5 R-Design. It is possible that Volvo Auto India might soon think about expanding the variant range as the mid-size SUV isn’t available with a petrol-powered engine. And since diesel has been facing the grunt from all possible fronts, even in India, Volvo needs a petrol-fed XC60 soon to try and carve a space in the market.
The only other car that is on sale in India but isn’t produced locally is the Volvo V90 Cross Country. It is a rugged station wagon, on in other words estate, that shares almost everything with S90 sedan. The only thing that it doesn’t share is the engine. Where the Volvo S90 is offered with the same engine-transmission as the XC40, the D4, the Volvo V90 Cross Country comes with the D5-spec of the 2.0-litre turbo diesel. That’s the same engine that also powers the Volvo XC60. Volvo wanted to reignite the long-lost hope for estates in India.
Volvo Auto India Targeting 10 Per Cent Share In Premium Car Space By 2020
The Volvo XC60 R-Design D5 is currently priced at Rs 57.9 lakh (ex-showroom India). Around the same price, it has a lot of fierce rivals in India. The list includes BMW X3, Audi Q5, Mercedes-Benz GLC, Jaguar F-Pace, Lexus NX and the Land Rover Discovery Sport. With the possible addition of a petrol or a petrol-hybrid variant of the XC60, Volvo could possibly land a much-needed punch to shake things up in its favour.
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