Next-gen Volvo V40 and S60L confirmed for US

Every post on the Volvo V40 and V40 Cross Country comes with a bevy of comments that ask, beg, and demand that Volvo bring them to the United States. If we can trust the words of the Alan Visser, the company's senior vice president, the entreaties will be answered... but not until 2017. That's when the next-generation V40 is due, Visser telling Dutch outlet De Telegraaf that it is being designed with the US in mind and will come here, followed by an XC40 - the current V40 Cross Country - a year later.

This would be the next step in an overhaul of the brand's entire range, and the division of its product portfolio into three groups as it launches 14 products through 2019: S sedans, V wagons, and XC crossovers. Visser said that models outside those three bodystyles "are not currently in the planning. That's really not a priority." However, long-wheelbase versions do fit into the scheme, and a V40L is under consideration if the demand is there. Among the powertrain options will be a gas-electric hybrid, part of Volvo's commitment to offer a hybrid for every one of its models.

After the disappearance of the C30 two years ago, a new V40 would give Volvo something to challenge the Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus. Before that, though, we'll see the flagship S90 and V90, and the De Telegraaf report says that the S60L will come to the US later this year.

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