Volvo plans to locally assemble more of its models including hybrid vehicles in India.
Swedish automaker Volvo started vehicle assembling operations in India in October last year. Among the initial models to be assembled in the company’s manufacturing plant situated in Bengaluru were the Volvo XC90 and S90. A top official from the company has now confirmed that along with more models from the existing range, Volvo hybrid cars will also be assembled locally in the coming years. With this move, the carmaker aims to give well-established brands from the German trio a run for their money.
In India, Volvo intends to electrify most of its current crop of cars and start operations for their local assembly by the end of this decade. Volvo XC60 and V90 Cross Country are next in line to be inducted to the local assembly process by 2019. The year 2019 will also mark Volvo’s entry into the electric vehicle space with the production-version of the 40.2 concept that was first showcased in May 2016. Moreover, the company is also working on expanding its dealership network across India.
Volvo’s 40.2 concept is a compact sedan based on CMA (Compact Modular Architecture) platform for which the company is aiming for a 499 km range. The car will feature Volvo’s advanced technologies such as Drive-E, Sensus and IntelliSafe. The standalone electric vehicle is slated to make its global debut in 2019 and Volvo is currently evaluating possibilities of bringing the same to India as well. In India, the brand has a hybrid vehicle on sale in the form of Volvo XC90 T8.
Volvo Hybrid Cars
– Volvo plans local assembly of more models at Bengaluru facility, including hybrid ones
– Production-version of 40.2 concept to come in 2019, company considering India launch possibility
– Most of the current range to be electrified in the next 2 to 3 years
Source – ETAuto.com