Premium small cars are all the rage these days. There’s the Mini, the Fiat 500, the Audi A1 and the Citroen DS3. It now appears that Volvo is keen to get in on the action. The Swedish manufacturer is said to be considering a vehicle for this segment, but it needs someone to share the costs…Enter Geely.
Not only will Geely share the potential costs of developing such a model, but Volvo’s Chinese parent company may also provide the small-displacement engine needed to power the supermini.
According to reports, Volvo CEO, Stefan Jacoby, recently spoke with Automotive News Europe and said that “a possible new small car from Volvo could be positioned below the C30 and rival the likes of the Mini Cooper and Audi A1”.
Although the current rumour is that Geely will develop the engine, there is another that speculates that Volvo may opt to partner up with BMW. The German company already has a small three-cylinder engine under development as well as a new platform for the next Mini.
For now, however, this is all secondary to Volvo immediate plans. The Swedish company first wants to concentrate on developing its current range and introducing replacements for some of the ageing products in its line-up.
