2004 Volvo S40

Volvo released the first photographs of its all-new S40 compact saloon yesterday, ahead of its world premiere at the Frankfurt IAA in September. The third model to be developed on Ford's global C1 platform, after the Focus C-Max and Mazda 3, the new Volvo S40 is unmistakably a Volvo with its strong, stylish design features. The all-new Volvo S40 is the first in a new range of compact models developed by Volvo using this platform. Next in line is the Volvo V50, a premium, compact sportswagon that will follow in spring 2004.

"With the new Volvo S40, we offer our customers large car benefits in a premium, compact format. This, combined with an exciting design and exceptional road manners, makes the new Volvo S40 a highly potent challenger in this emerging premium compact segment," says Volvo Cars President and CEO Hans-Olov Olsson.

Expanding the brand appeal and increasing desirability is an important part of Volvo Cars' strategy, so it is important that this model attracts younger buyers.

"We want to attract people into the Volvo family as early as possible, and the new Volvo S40 will definitely appeal to younger customers," comments Hans-Olov Olsson.

The interior is quite a revolution, with a modern design similar to the recent VCC concept car. The dash features an ultra-slim centre console that appears to be free-floating — the first of its kind in the automotive world — creating extra storage space behind it.

"The centre console is a unique design icon for the new Volvo S40," says Henrik Otto, Design Director at Volvo Cars. "We intend to pursue our position as innovators in the car design world, not looking at what our competitors are doing — but, more valuably, what they're not doing."

Volvo continues its use of high-tensile steel in the new S40. In the new frontal structure, four different grades of steel are used in a high-tech interplay to provide maximum safety for the car's occupants.

"Naturally, our goal is that the new Volvo S40 should be the safest car in its class, offering precisely the same safety levels as our larger models but within more compact dimensions," says Hans-Olov Olsson.

Excellent ride and handling combine with a choice of five-cylinder petrol engines, with a 218 hp T5 model topping the range, as well as a four-cylinder, 134 hp turbodiesel. The S40 T5 can also be specified in with Volvo's electronically controlled four-wheel drive and with a 6-speed manual gearbox. Other, smaller four-cylinder petrol engines will join the range during 2004.

The new Volvo S40 will be built at the Volvo Cars factory in Ghent, Belgium, which has been redesigned at a cost of €340 million. Production gets under way this autumn. In 2003, the new Volvo S40 will only be sold in Sweden, reaching the rest of the world in early 2004 (late February in the UK). Meanwhile, the current S40 continues in production at Nedcars' Born factory in the Netherlands until mid-2004 to provide a full range of small Volvo's until the full new range is available. The sales target for new Volvo S40 in 2004 is 70,000 cars globally. The USA is expected to be the largest single market with at least 20,000 cars per annum, followed by the UK with approximately 8,000 cars a year.