Volvo XC30 To Arrive In 2012

Two years ago, we began hearing rumors about Volvo creating a soft-roader with the inner workings of the Volvo C30 and the styling of the Volvo XC60. After being in the pipeline for so long, those rumors were finally confirmed at the Geneva Motor Show by Volvo’s President for Overseas Corporate Strategy, Lex Kerssemakers. He says, "There will be some further expansion of the XC range in the near future."

Generally speaking, society is becoming more environmentally and economically conscious. The trends that we have seen with cars such as the BMW X1 and the Audi Q3 are that of a market wanting more for less. The photo shown here is a rendering of what the Volvo XC 30 might eventually look like. Starting off as a 3-door and possibly moving to a 5-door, this compact crossover shows us that the days of those big, heavy SUVs - along with their ridiculous gas mileage - just might be a thing of the past.

Follow the jump for more details.

The Volvo XC30 will more than likely be available in a range of gas and turbo diesel engines and a Haldex-sourced all-wheel drive system. This will be the carmaker’s 4th crossover in the lineup and will be positioned just under the XC60 and the XC70. "Naturally you would go down at this moment because we’re rather well filled with XC60, XC70 and XC90," Kerssemakers says. Not only is Volvo “rather well filled” in the SUV department, but the market is also filled with competition for the XC30. The BMW X1, theAudi Q3, and the recently divulged, Mini Countryman are just a few of the upcoming crossover’s competitors. The XC30 seems like a logical response to the market’s demands, but Volvo needs to make sure that after two years of talk, the Volvo XC30 will be worth the wait. We should be able to make that decision sometime in 2012 when the Volvo XC30 is said to hit the market. In the meantime, Kerssmakers says that V and XC cars "are the core of our business" and apart from working on the compact crossover SUV, Volvo is also working on a 5 door C30 and possibly a station wagon version of the S60 expected to be named the V60. We’ll keep you posted.