Volvo XC40 is the 2018 European Car of the Year

The new Volvo XC40 small SUV has been named as the 2018 European Car of the Year. The car won the prestegious title just before the Geneva Motor Show beating the likes of Alfa Romeo Stelvio, the Audi A8, the BMW 5 Series, the Citroën C3 Aircross, the Kia Stinger and the Seat Ibiza. This is the very first time that  Volvo Cars has won this award. The car is set to make its India debut in mid-2018.

The jury consisted of 60 journalists from 23 countries for the European Car of the Year title this year. Results were declared in Switzerland ahead of the 88th Geneva International Motor Show that would open to public Thursday March 8, 2018. Last year it was the Peugeot 3008 which won the title.

The Volvo XC40 is billed as “built for city life” by the Swedish carmaker. Volvo had introduced the XC40 in 2017 and since then the car has seen a lot of laurels. Incidentally this award is rather significant for Volvo because this is the first time they won the prestigious award after they came very close to winning it with the V40 in 2013 and the XC90 in 2016.

“Winning this award with our new XC40 is perfect timing,” said Håkan Samuelsson, president and CEO of Volvo Cars. “Volvo now has three globally available SUVs in its range for the first time. The XC40 will be a strong contributor to further growth, taking us into a new and fast-growing small SUV segment. We have a clear strategy for growth and we are committed to leading in automotive safety, connectivity services and electrification. The XC40 reflects that commitment, and looking at the response from our customers and from the COTY jury here today, we are on the right track.”

The European Car of the Year Awards have been announced since 1964 where the Car of the Year have been picked for the  value of money, design, comfort, safety, onboard technology and environmental performances.