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Volvo is forging ahead in areas such as self-driving technology and safety, as well as challenging the way people use their cars, with a subscription service that sees users pay a monthly fee for access to Volvo models. And in the next five years, the Swedish brand is planning to bring at least four new models to market. In addition, there will be at least one new model from Volvo's sister brand, Polestar.

 

All of Volvo's future models will be designed and built to be electrified. Indeed, Volvo earlier this year committed to only selling plug-in hybrid and electric cars by 2025 – five years before the government's proposed ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars comes into effect – before switching to a fully electric brand within the next 20 years.

Below we take a look at what's coming when from Volvo and its Polestar sister brand.

 

Volvo V40 | On sale: late 2021

 

The original Volvo V40 was a family hatchback that went on sale in 2012 and finally disappeared from showrooms only last year. Initially, it was thought that Volvo would replace the car with an all-new hatchback, but now the brand is instead likely to use the V40 name on a new coupé-SUV, given the growing appetite for such cars among European buyers. Indeed, Volvo officials confirmed to our sister title, Autocar, in 2019 that the V40 would not be directly replaced, adding that the brand would look to add "another bodystyle" to its range within the coming years. Volvo does not currently have a coupé-SUV among its model line-up, so using the V40 name for such a car would plug that gap handily.

 

 

The new V40 would, therefore, be designed to rival the Audi Q3 Sportback and BMW X2, and would be built from the ground up to accommodate electric power. Volvo ditched diesel engines from its lineup earlier this year, and given the time at which the V40 would arrive, a solely petrol-powered version seems unlikely. Power options are likely to be built around plug-in hybrids, and indeed the main option is expected to be the same 1.5-litre petrol engine and electric motor that's already used in the XC40 T5 plug-in hybrid. That model can officially travel for up to 27 miles on electric power alone.

 

A fully electric V40 is planned, too, using the same 402bhp electric motor as the recently launched XC40 Recharge Pure Electric, which has a range of up to 260 miles between charges.

Inside, expect a subtle evolution on what we've grown accustomed to in the most recent Volvo models, with a portrait-oriented infotainment screen in the middle of the dashboard, a digital instrument cluster and high-end materials throughout.