NE BUSINESS BUREAU
AHMEDABAD, OCT 26
Swedish car maker Volvo on Tuesday launched two new petrol mild-hybrid models of its luxury sedan S90 and the midsize luxury SUV XC60 in the Gujarat market.
Both the cars are priced at Rs 61.90 lakh each (ex-showroom) in Gujarat, said Prakash Mishra, Head of Sales, Volvo Car India. He added that these launches are in line with the company’s aim to have a complete petrol portfolio by the end of 2021.
“In the petrol mild-hybrid technology, there is a petrol engine along with a battery pack. It does not require external charging. This technology improves fuel efficiency and driving experience. Gujarat is among the top five markets for us and we are confident of getting a very good response for these new models,” said Mishra.
At present, both S90 and XC60 are available as diesel variants. As the demand for petrol cars is increasing due to various reasons, Volvo will discontinue the diesel variants in near future, said Mishra.
One of the main reasons is the vanishing difference in the price of petrol and diesel, as both fuels are now sold for around or above Rs 100 in India. Moreover, diesel cars are sent to scrap within 10 years in regions like Delhi while the life of a petrol car is set at 15 years, said Mishra.
“Our entire portfolio would switch to petrol versions. A formal announcement about the XC90 will also happen in the next one month. We will then discontinue our diesel models. People are now preferring petrol models for various reasons. Petrol cars also fetch more in resale,” said Mishra.
On the adoption of this new petrol mild-hybrid technology, Mishra said this is a transition towards electric cars.
“Future is electric. However, this transition from conventional fuel to electric will not happen overnight. Thus, we are on the right path. We are launching our first pure electric car XC40 next year in India and will launch one electric car every subsequent year,” he added.
“Gujarat has been a very important market for us and Ahmedabad is amongst the fastest-growing cities and home to aspiring and affluent families. The luxury mobility customer in Gujarat has always been safety and features conscious and we are confident that they will find our technology loaded new offerings exciting,” said Mishra.
In line with PM Narendra Modi’s AatmaNirbhar Bharat mission, these cars have been manufactured in the company’s Bengaluru plant, added Mishra.
To a query on the impact of semiconductor shortage on the delivery of cars, he said that the customers would be informed about the delivery schedule at the time of bookings and the company would adhere to it.
Both these models come with advanced features that enhance the Volvo driving experience. Features like Digital Services giving access to Google apps, other apps and services which offer hands-free help with Google Assistant, best-in-class navigation through Google Maps are available in both the models. The cars also feature the intuitive, next generation infotainment system that offers customers unprecedented personalization and an unparalleled connectivity.
The company also announced 3 years’ Volvo Service Package at a special price of only Rs 75,000 plus applicable taxes. This can be bought with the new launched cars. This is an introductory offer only during the current festive season which includes regular maintenance plus wear & tear cost over 3 years.
Volvo Car Group has teamed up with Google on integrating an infotainment system powered by Android with Google apps and services. Volvo is committed to safety and sustainability and offer its car users the most advanced features.
The S90 is Volvo’s premium 4-door, 5-seat flagship sedan. It is built on the Scalable Product Architecture (SPA), Volvo’s advanced modular vehicle platform. The SPA platform has resulted in the strongest Volvo cars to date because of extensive use of boron steel, as well as numerous safety systems designed to protect people inside and outside the car.
Winner of the World Car of the Year title in 2018 (the immensely popular XC60 has now advanced safety upgrades like Volvo Cars’ latest Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) sensor platform, a modern, scalable active safety system that consists of an array of radars, cameras and ultrasonic sensors.
