Volvo's latest addition to the family, the S40, demonstrates that safety, good looks and driving zest can go hand in hand.

This was stated by David Gasan, managing director of Gasan Enterprises Ltd, during the launch of the S40 at the Caraffa Stores in Grand Harbour's Marina Waterfront earlier this month.

Bearing more than just a resemblance to its larger family, the S40 is a compact sedan with the feel of a large car, he added.

With an emphasis on safety, which is the principal behind all that Volvo produces, the S40 still exudes youthfulness and dynamism.

Based on Volvo's unique design and strong personality of the S80 and S60 models, the S40 is comet-like in shape, with a gentle, rounded front, sweeping lines and a sharply cut off rear end, conveying an impression of movement and speed, he added.

Inside the S40 comes with a distinctive centre stack, which is a "revolutionary high-tech design with a super-thin, free floating panel produced in either aluminium, wood-effect or even transparent Iced Aqua, giving the interior a futuristic and technically advanced look".

Besides being safe and good looking, the S40 has winning performance with its 1.8 litre, four-cylinder, 125 bhp petrol engine, delivering smooth operation, alert response and a sporty, yet harmonious driving experience. Other engines include the 2.0-litre diesel engine, and a 2.4-litre and 2.5-litre T5 petrol engines.

Emphasis was also layed on the environment impact of the car so on-board technologies were designed to have the least possible impact on the environment with low exhaust emissions and material recycling.

The S40 may be seen at Gasan Automotive's showroom in Mriehel.