Well, this was unexpected. The teaser video published just yesterday by Volvo on its international Facebook page has an extended version that has already been uploaded by the company’s Hungarian division on the same media channel.
It pretty much reveals the whole car (in the sporty R-Design trim) and comes to show the first-ever XC40 won’t stray away too far from the 40.1 concept. Actually, it looks almost the same as the showcar before it, especially since the two have an identical paint finish with a predominately white body contrasted by the black roof and pillars.
The video has been deleted very quickly (oops, Hungary) – but we managed to get some screenshots before it went. Compare the pictures below with the original concept car.
The changes it has gone through from concept to production model are the ones you’d come to expect. For example, gone are the front door handles that sat flush with the body on the 40.1 as the road-going XC40 will have conventional handles. It’s the same story with the showcar’s upper-mounted 'hidden' rear door handles as these have been replaced by a regular setup.
Volvo has also taken out the side cameras and replaced them with ordinary mirrors finished in black to match the roof. As for the front and the rear ends, there’s not much to say as the two are almost carbon copies of those fitted onto the concept, with very few subtle changes to the grille and the graphics of both headlights and taillights.
Heralding the company’s new CMA platform for smaller cars, the XC40 will debut on Thursday 21 September at Volvo's design studio in Milan. From what we know so far, the range-topping T5 version shown here will use a turbocharged three-cylinder 1.5-liter petrol engine teamed up with an electric motor and a dual-clutch automatic gearbox. The posh crossover will have just about the same safety tech as the company's two more expensive SUVs, together with an industry-first air-ventilated, dashboard-mounted subwoofer.
Gallery: 2018 Volvo XC40 revealing screenshots from teaser video
