S60 triggers Volvo diesel pledge 16 | 05 | 2018
VOLVO HAS PLEDGED never to launch another new car with a diesel engine. The new Volvo S60 saloon — to be launched later this Spring — will be the first Volvo to be produced without a diesel engine, highlighting the Swedish car maker’s commitment to a long-term future beyond the traditional combustion engine.
(Related: Volvo aims for 50% EVs by 2025)
All new Volvo models launched from 2019 will be available as either a mild petrol hybrid, plug-in petrol hybrid or battery electric vehicle. This is the most comprehensive electrification strategy in the car industry and Volvo was the first traditional car maker to commit to all-out electrification in July 2017. (Related: Roadtest — Volvo XC40)
“Our future is electric and we will no longer develop a new generation of diesel engines,” Håkan Samuelsson (pictured), president and chief executive of Volvo Cars, said. “We will phase out cars with only an internal combustion engine, with petrol hybrid versions as a transitional option as we move towards full electrification. The new S60 represents the next step in that commitment.”
Last month, Volvo Cars reinforced its electrification strategy by stating that it aims for fully electric cars to make up 50% of its global sales by 2025. The announcement was made at the 2018 Beijing Auto Show, positioning it as a powerful player in China, the world’s leading market for electrified cars.
(Relate: New Volvo dealership for John Clark Motor Group)
The new S60, a premium mid-size sports saloon, is based on Volvo’s in-house-developed Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) platform, which also underpins the company’s award-winning new 90 series and 60 series cars. The S60’s estate sibling, the V60, was launched earlier this year in Stockholm.
The new S60 will initially be available with a range of four-cylinder Drive-E petrol engines as well as with two petrol plug-in hybrid versions. Mild-hybrid versions will follow next year.
Production of the new S60 will start this autumn at Volvo Cars’ brand-new manufacturing facility outside Charleston, South Carolina. The Charleston plant will be the only manufacturing location for the new S60, meaning American-built S60s will be sold in the US market as well as overseas through exports.
Related: Volvo XC40 wins Euro Car of the Year
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Jim McGill