The new XC60 midsize SUV has started production at Volvo’s Torslanda plant in Sweden and the first customer-bound car, a T5 Inscription AWD in crystal white, has rolled off the production line.

The new car replaces the premium carmaker’s original, and highly successful, XC60, which in the nine years since its launch became the bestselling premium midsized SUV in Europe with nearly a million units sold globally. Currently, the XC60 represents around 30 percent of Volvo’s total global sales.

“This is a proud day for everyone at the plant,” said Magnus Nilsson, vice-president of the Torslanda plant. “We have worked hard in recent weeks and months to prepare Torslanda for this latest new Volvo model, and now we are ready to start delivering new XC60s to customers.”

The XC60 is the fourth model based on Volvo’s in-house developed SPA vehicle architecture, following the introduction of the top-of-the-line 90 series in recent years.

Laden with safety tech

The new XC60, one of the safest cars ever made, is fully loaded with new technology. Steer Assist has been added to the groundbreaking City Safety system. A new safety system called Oncoming Lane Mitigation uses Steer Assist to help mitigate head-on collisions, while Volvo’s Blind Spot Indication System (BLIS) now uses Steer Assist functionality to reduce the risk of lane-changing collisions.

Pilot Assist, Volvo’s advanced semi-autonomous driver assistance system, which takes care of steering, acceleration and braking on well-marked roads up to 130kph, is available in the new XC60 as an option.

The new car gets Volvo’s award-winning T8 twin-engine petrol plug-in hybrid at the top of the powertrain range, delivering 407hp and acceleration from 0-100kph in 5.3sec.

The all-new SUV also gets a new CleanZone four-zone climate system that removes harmful pollutants and particles from outside the cabin.