Many people, particularly these of an older technology, nonetheless think about a Volvo 240 when requested to think about a Volvo. And with good motive – apart from its iconic boxy form, it has been Gothenburg’s best-selling car, a title it has saved even after being out of manufacturing for 32 years. Nicely, till now, that’s.
That’s as a result of its standing as Volvo’s GOAT has been usurped by the XC60gross sales of which have surpassed a cumulative 2.7 million autos worldwide for the reason that nameplate debuted in 2008. The compact government SUV achieved this determine over a relatively shorter 17-year timeframe (albeit over two generations, that means the 240 nonetheless holds the title for a single technology) and reveals no indicators of stopping, having simply obtained a complete refresh that brings with it a brand new infotainment system with Google companies in-built.
“Rising up in Sweden within the Nineteen Eighties, the Volvo 240 was the long-lasting household automotive – you could possibly spot one in nearly each driveway,” mentioned head of worldwide choices Susanne Hägglund. “Right this moment the XC60 has taken over that place in two methods. Not solely because the household favorite, but additionally changing into our all-time top-seller, which in itself is the final word proof level of a profitable automotive. And now, with the most recent updates, it will get even higher.”
Constructing on the success of the XC90, the smaller and extra reasonably priced XC60 opened the model to a wider viewers, arriving simply in time for the crossover revolution. It launched plenty of firsts, together with being the primary Volvo to be in-built China for native consumption, having hitherto been produced solely in Europe.
This being a Volvo, security was additionally a spotlight, with the primary XC60 debuting a characteristic that will grow to be commonplace immediately – autonomous emergency braking. Metropolis Security, because it was then known as, helped forestall or mitigate accidents taking place under 30 km/h.
Volvo continued to steer the phase with the introduction of the second-generation mannequin in 2017, which grew to become the World Automotive of the 12 months the next yr. The automotive launched Oncoming Lane Mitigation, which might detect if the automotive was veering into oncoming visitors and steer it again.
Once more drawing from the XC90, the second-gen XC60 additionally introduced plug-in hybrid expertise to the phase; actually, even eight years after its launch, it nonetheless managed to grow to be the best-selling PHEV in Europe final yr.
Volvo says that the most recent XC60 PHEV supplies a bridge to clients nonetheless not able to drive a full EV, providing full electrical driving with the fallback of a combustion engine. And the corporate provides that up to now, round half of the gap pushed by its newest PHEVs globally was executed utilizing electrical energy alone.
GALLERY: 2026 Volvo XC60
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