Both concepts demonstrate the new kind of premium small cars that combine equally bold exterior and interior design with universal connectivity, electrification and various autonomous drive technologies.

The new concepts were built around Volvo's new Compact Modular Architecture (CMA), which has been specifically developed for smaller cars and which has given the company's designers and engineers more freedom to explore bold and daring new directions. »Each member of our product family has its own distinct character, just like the members of a real family. CMA has helped us to capture something special, something youthful in our new concept cars. They have an energy, a disruptive and engaging urban character that makes them stand out amongst the crowd," said Thomas Ingenlath, Senior Vice President, Design, at Volvo Car Group.

Due to the CMA paltform, the small global car will be available with various powertrain types, including not only three-cylinder and four-cylinder variants with internal combustion engines but also a pure battery electric vehicle and a Twin Engine plug¬in hybrid powertrain variants. Alternative powertrains show the brand's commitment to the electrification of its entire portfolio. In addition, Volvo plans to have sold a total of up to 1 million electrified (either electric or hybrid) cars by 2025 globally.

The first new 40 series car is expected to go into production in 2017 and will play a ke role in Volvo's market penetration into the segment of smaller cars. At the same time, the new car will represent a vital part of Volvo's revitalization process that already shows positive results, while the medium term goals expect it to refelct itself in growing sales numbers – as predicitons go, Volvo is to increase its sales by one third to at least 800,000 cars per year.