Most cars get a midlife facelift about four years after first hitting the streets. It’s a chance for automakers to update the styling and introduce new features and engineering changes that are usually minor but can be quite dramatic—the Polestar 2 swapping from front- to rear-wheel drive comes readily to mind. I can’t think of too many cars that have gone on to have a second update, but here’s one: the 2028 Volvo XC40.
First debuting in 2017, Volvo gave the XC40 a tweak for model year 2023. Rather than launch an all-new version, it’s decided to give the popular crossover another update for MY28 with the aim of keeping things fresh. “By enhancing the XC40’s design, technology and safety features, we’ve created the best version of the XC40 yet,” said Akhil Krishnan, Interim Lead for the 30 and 40 Series at Volvo Cars. “This already popular model is now set to continue being one of our best-selling cars for years to come.”
The most obvious changes are the new front and rear lights. Up front we still see the distinctive “Thor’s Hammer” daylight running light signature, but the new matrix LED light clusters appear more minimalist, hiding their details from view. The rear similarly gets new LEDs. But Volvo’s designers have been at work elsewhere, shaving away the corners of the car to make what was already a small SUV take up slightly less room.
Volvo’s designers have shaved away unnecessary volume.
Volvo
Volvo
Thor’s Hammer is now more minimalist and hides its technology.
Volvo
Volvo
New rear light clusters complete the picture.
Volvo
Thor’s Hammer is now more minimalist and hides its technology.
Volvo
New rear light clusters complete the picture.
Volvo
From a pedestrian’s perspective, the effect is to make the car seem smaller, with its edges slightly further away. It’s only an inch here and there, but compared to the trend of metastasizing SUVs we’re normally subjected to, it’s a more sympathetic and socially aware approach that makes the XC40 look less aggressive. Then again, of all the automakers out there, Volvo, with its fastidious approach to safety, would be the one to do it.
