Volvo vehicle line director Hakan Abrahamsson told CarAdvice at the Australian launch of the Volvo V40 that selected variants of the premium hatchback including the entry-level diesel would benefit from a dual-clutch automatic gearbox option from 2014.
“It won’t be until 2014, but the V40 D2 will definitely be available with a Getrag dual-clutch transmission,” Abrahamsson said.
“We haven’t decided on pricing or whether or not we would even continue with a manual version in Australia. That decision would be made locally.”
All but two Volvo V40 models offered in Australia are equipped exclusively with a conventional six-speed automatic transmission. A six-speed manual is standard in the $34,990 D2 base model and the $39,990 D4 Kinetic, where an auto is optional.
Abrahammson was tight-lipped on whether the dual-clutch unit would replace the automatic transmission or be sold alongside it in next year’s V40 line-up.
“I can’t say at this stage if V40 would offer a dual-clutch transmission instead of the current six-speed automatics,” he said. “But it’s a possibility, given we use them in a range of Volvo models including XC60, S60 and V60.”
Read CarAdvice’s Volvo V40 Review.
