VOLVO has unveiled the successor to its XC60, the mid-sized SUV responsible for nearly a third of the company's sales worldwide.

The new car replaces Volvo's original XC60, which in the nine years since its launch became the best-selling premium mid-sized SUV in Europe, with nearly a million units sold globally. The XC60 today represents around 30 per cent of Volvo's total global sales.

The new XC60, one of the safest cars ever made according to Volvo, is fully loaded with new technology.

Steer Assist has been added to the 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 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 130 km/h, is available in the new XC60 as an option.

The new XC60 offers Volvo's T8 Twin Engine petrol plug-in hybrid at the top of the powertrain range, delivering 407 horsepower and acceleration from 0-62mph in 5.3 seconds.

The new XC60 is launched with the diesel D4 engine at 190 hp and the D5 with PowerPulse technology delivering 235 hp. There will also be a petrol-powered T5 delivering 254 hp. A T6 version with both turbo and superchargers attached, delivers 320 hp but will not be sold in the UK.

Inside the newcomer, a CleanZone four-zone climate control system removes harmful pollutants and particles from outside the cabin to deliver 'Scandinavian-fresh' air on the inside.

The new XC60 is set to go into production in mid-April at the Torslanda Plant in Sweden.