The Swedish luxury car maker Volvo Cars introduced the much awaited all new XC60, the mid-size sports utility vehicle, within six months of its global debut.

The new second generation imported car will take on market leader Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, and Tata Motors-owned British marquee Jaguar Land Lover to boost sales in India.

With a price tag of Rs 55.9 lakh at pan India, the new second generation XC60 will take on the likes of Mercedes-Benz GLC, Audi Q5, BMW X3, the Jaguar F-Pace and the upcoming Lexus NX300h in the country.

At present the company has introduced only one high-end variant called the ‘Inscription’ variant which is loaded to the brim with features.

The new car replaces the highly-successful original XC60 which had been the largest selling model with nearly a million units sold globally as well as in India. It was first introduced in India in 2011.

The popular XC60 model accounted for over 30 per cent of the total sales of the brand in the fiercely competitive and growing luxury car market pegged around 36,000 units annually.

The XC60 was first showcased at the Geneva Auto Show earlier this year. This is the second Volvo SUV to have been built on the Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) after the flagship XC90 SUV.

The XC60 gets Volvo's signature Thor's Hammer LED headlamps and the familial Volvo face seen on the XC90 SUV and the beautiful S90 sedan.

Like all other Volvos, XC60 gets a host of safety features which include steer assist functionality, oncoming lane mitigation, blind spot detection, pilot assist and the optional semi-autonomous driver assistance system as well.

In India, the XC60 SUV gets a 2.0-litre SUV diesel D5 engine, which makes 233 bhp and 480 Nm and the engine comes paired to an 8-speed automatic transmission.

The new XC60 is designed to provide a comfortable driving experience with its enhanced technology, sublime luxury and robust preventive and protective safety features.

“The XC60 is not only one of our largest selling models globally but has been received well in India too,” Charles Frump, managing director at Volvo Auto India told Financial Chronicle.

In fact, it makes up almost a third of our total sales in India, he revealed.

“We are confident that the all new XC60 with its segment defining features, modern Scandinavian design and luxury will prove to be an attractive proposition for customers replicating its predecessor’s success,” Frump said.

He said the brand’s commitment to launch quickly after the global launch emphasized its intent in India’s growing luxury car market.

Visually, the new Volvo XC60 looks a lot more stylish compared with the previous model which has now been phased out. The new model borrows a lot of its design cues from the company's flagship

SUV, the XC90, which is the second highest selling model for the company in the country.

The new XC60 comes equipped with Volvo’s signature multi-slate chrome grille, flanked by pair of stylish LED headlamps with Thor's hammer LED daytime running lamps.

The sculpted front bumper comes with some subtle lines with a wide central airdam and some stylish chrome elements on either side.

The car also gets a pair of small LEd foglamps as well.

Other features include, cooled/heated front seats with a massage function, which are in fact a segment first offering.

The SUV also offers a 9.0-inch centre Sensus touchscreen system, driver assist features as well like the 360 degree camera, semi-automatic parking, blind-spot assist and lane departure warning and radar-based safety features like adaptive cruise control.

michaelgonsalves@mydigitalfc.com