Peter Palmer: 2018 Volvo XC60 Production Underway

It won’t be long before the 2018 Volvo XC60 arrives in the showroom. Production of the vehicle is underway at Volvo’s Torslanda plant in Sweden. The first customer-bound XC60 that rolled off the line was a T5 Inscription AWD in Crystal White. The new XC60 replaces a prior model that held its own for nine years, becoming the top premium mid-sized SUV in Europe with nearly a million units sold globally.

The XC60 today represents around 30 percent of Volvo’s total global sales.

Solid Foundations

The XC60 is the fourth Volvo based on the automaker’s patented SPA vehicle architecture. Volvo developed it in-house and introduced it with the 2016 XC90. SPA allows Vovlo’s engineers to seamlessly integrate a wide range of vehicle systems and technology, be it performance or safety related. The latter is a huge part of Volvo’s reputation and SPA utilizes its high-strength steel construction accordingly.

Furthermore, SPA-related investments in Sweden have provided thousands of new jobs in production and research and development.

The first new XC60 rolls off the production line in Torslanda, Sweden. Photo: Volvo Car Group.

Performance Tech

Building on their safety legacy, Volvo added Steer Assist to the 2018 XC60’s City Safety system. Steer Assist literally “assists” the other vehicle safety systems. Oncoming Lane Mitigation, for example, uses Steer Assist to help prevent head-on collisions. The Blind Spot Indication system also uses Steer Assist to help prevent lane-changing collisions. Other available safety features include Pilot Assist, a semi-autonomous program that handles steering, acceleration, and braking on well-marked roads up to 80 mph.

A T8 Twin Engine petrol plug-in hybrid tops the new XC60’s powertrain range, delivering 407 horsepower and hitting 62 mph in a mere 5.3 seconds. Inside, the new CleanZone four-zone climate system removes pollutants, dust, and particles – a necessity if you are like me and have allergies. Expect the latest infotainment and connectivity too, with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability.

Pricing & Availability

No word on pricing yet for the 2018 Volvo XC60, although the vehicle is gradually becoming available for order as production increases.

“This is a proud day for everyone at the plant,” said Magnus Nilsson, Vice President of the Torslanda plant. “We have worked hard in recent weeks and months to prepare Torslanda for this latest new Volvo model, and now we are ready to start delivering new XC60s to customers.”

Carl Anthony is Managing Editor of Automoblog and resides in Detroit, Michigan.