Volvo Cars launched its new Drive-E powertrain under the hood of its XC40 compact SUV. This new engine, which is the company’s first three-cylinder unit, features a modular design similar to Volvo’s four-cylinder Drive-E engines. The 1.5-litre, three-cylinder, direct-injection petrol engine is mated to a six-speed transmission with an optional eight-speed transmission that will be introduced later.
The engine will be produced on the same production lines as the company’s four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines. The new three-cylinder powertrain has been deliberately designed to smoothly work in tandem with the Twin Engine plug-in hybrid cars. The company will introduce a pure electric powertrain option for the XC40 in the near future.
The XC40 is expected to launch in India in mid-2018 and you can expect it to come with a price tag in the ₹27-30 lakh range (ex-showroom).