The XC40 took the European Car of the Year Award for 2018 despite competition from Alfa Romeo, BMW and Audi.

It was Volvo’s first outright win although the XC90 was runner up in 2016 and Volvo came 3rd in 2013 and 1983.

Its recent success reflects the shift from solid, spacious saloons and estates to more on-trend SUVs and crossovers.

The saloons and estates have become sleek and stylish but over half of all Volvos made are SUVs and they are the core product now.

The SUV boom shows no signs of slowing and with it has come an interesting spin off.

Pickups, always looked on as workhorses, are sneaking in on the side with plush double cab versions providing alternative family transport.

The last few years have seen a surge in new pickups with Volkswagen, Renault, Fiat and even Mercedes-Benz joining the usual suspects of Toyota Hilux, Mitsubishi L200, Ford Ranger and Nissan Navara.

Here we are taking a look at the Mercedes-Benz X-class . . . except that it is not all that it seems. Given Merc's strength in the commercial market it is a bit of a surprise that the German giant has joined forces with Nissan and taken the Navara as its starting point.

SUVs and crossovers now account for more than a third of new car sales across Europe.

Skoda saw the potential for a smaller SUV/crossover early. The 2009 Yeti was an immediate hit despite (maybe because of) its quirky, edgy, if practical angular profile.

The crossover market now is a very broad church with, at times, some pretty dubious bandying around of the term SUV.

Crossovers are basically ‘jacked-up’ front wheel drive five door hatchbacks with the kind of flexible interiors and seating which has hastened the decline of the MPV (Multi-Purpose Vehicle).
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​Volvo’s latest XC60 is a cautious evolution of ‘the formula’. Like its predecessor this is, basically, a more compact XC90. 

Longer, wider and lower (yet no heavier) than before, its cabin is roomier to the particular benefit of rear seat occupants.

​Standard of Interior fit and finish clearly aims to be up to ‘premium brand’ expectations.

The Japanese automotive industry has led the way on process and manufacturing but, in terms of chassis dynamics, mainstream product has often proved lacklustre.

Mazda models, under Ford control, improved but the real transformation came in 2012 with the ‘Skyactiv' programme – four years after Ford’s withdrawal.

That year’s CX-5 compact SUV/crossover was the first completely new SKYACTIV vehicle. The methodology tackled engine, transmission and vehicle construction technologies ‘holistically’

Mazda developed a system for building its core car range on one basic set of components (‘platform’ by now too simple a description).
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Another  day another new crossover, but as my postman said 'everyone is buying them.'

He got that right. In a year when car sales fell 2017 was a great year for the crossover-cum-SUV, call them what you will.

This was the only sector where sales increased although it is hardly surprising with new models being churned out like pizzas at a fast food counter. What is it that makes this style of car so popular? I can give you the answer in one word: height.
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A new car brand is a big event and some are bigger than others. This one is big because of its name.

The Citroën DS of 1955 was the most significant car of the 20th century changing the face of motoring with its futuristic design and cutting edge technology.
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Now that name is back as the stand alone luxury arm of the PSA group, that's Peugeot, Citroën, and now Vauxhall-Opel as well. DS models have been produced since 2011 sitting alongside Citroen but since 2014 the brand has been separated and has aimed at the premium sectors.

2018 is shaping up to be a big year for Mitsubishi.

​The partnership with Renault-Nissan is signed and sealed and the new Eclipse Cross SUV is hitting the showrooms signalling the first of a new generation of cars from the Japanese company, which reached its centenary last year.
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The alliance would seem to be the perfect marriage: Mitsubishi is big on all wheel drive - it built its first 4x4 in 1936 - and so is Nissan, and it has had huge success with the plug-in hybrid Outlander which dovetails nicely with Renault's expertise in electric cars.
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By mid-'70s BMW had sorted out its line-up. The ‘5’ of 1972 was the first ‘Series’ car.  The ‘3’ came in 1973, ‘6’ in 1976 and flagship 7 in 1977.

Marketing too raised its game - “The Ultimate Driving Machine” became one of the most enduring taglines in the history of advertising. The age of the “executive express” had arrived.

The world, of course, did not stand still.  For 2017’s new 5 Series BMW had a job on its hands in seeing off both the refined, sophisticated E-Class Mercedes and pin-sharp, dynamically accomplished XF Jaguar. Audi’s A6 (successor due in 2018) and Volvo’s S90 are also in the frame (both basically front-wheel drive with optional 4x4).

If you had to point to a particular model in the Citroën range that was underperforming versus the rest of the market, the previous C3 stood out.

Now that the DS 3 is a DS in its own right rather than a Citroën, the C3’s sales of less than 10% of the brand’s total in a segment that accounts for around a quarter of new car registrations, suggests there is some work that needs to be done.
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The C1 city car has been a success and the stylish C4 Cactus is also proving popular, but the previous C3 – fair to say also one of the blandest cars Citroën has ever produced – would have got a firm C-minus on its report card even with the kindest spin on its abilities.
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