In today’s new-car market, it doesn’t seem that a luxury automaker can fully compete without a small vehicle in its lineup, and almost every major marque has entered the premium small-car segment in recent years – including Ford’s->ke31 Lincoln->ke48 brand with the introduction of the 2015 Lincoln MKC crossover.->ke288 One notable omission from this list, however, is Volvo,->ke188 which finds itself with an entire lineup of mid-size->ke1695 sedans,->ke142 wagons->ke143 and crossovers.->ke288

According to a recent report, that could be changing, as Volvo finally seems ready to bring the V40->ke4155 to the U.S, but before you get your hopes up about buying the compact->ke140 station wagon anytime soon, it likely won’t happen until the car’s next generation. Volvo’s product life cycles tend to run a little longer than most luxury automakers, so following the introduction of the current 2013 Volvo V40 in 2012, it isn’t likely the next-gen model will be ready until closer to the end of this decade. Looking to the Chinese->ke2090 market, Volvo’s marketing chief Alain Visser said that an extended-wheelbase V40 is also on the table if that market shows strong enough demand.

Before the next-gen V40 does arrive, Volvo will be launching a hybrid->ke147 version of the car to bolster the average fuel economy of its fleet. The hybrid will use a gasoline engine (rather than diesel), and Visser suggested that this car could eventually be developed for markets outside of Europe by saying that gasoline is the global focus and that’s where Volvo wants to play.

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Why it matters

With a new luxury flagship->ke505 on the way, the eventual addition of the V40 will allow Volvo to better compete with more established luxury brands on both fronts.

2013 Volvo V40

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