This step is being taken to highlight Volvo’s commitment to a long-term future beyond the traditional combustion engine.
The next-generation Volvo S60 saloon - to be revealed very soon - will be the first Volvo to be produced without a diesel engine, the company has confirmed.
Volvo has also confirmed that all of its new models launched from 2019 will be available as either a mild petrol hybrid, plug-in petrol hybrid or battery electric vehicle. In fact, Volvo was the first traditional car maker to commit to all-out electrification in July 2017.
“Our future is electric and we will no longer develop a new generation of diesel engines,” said Håkan Samuelsson, president and chief executive of Volvo Cars. “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 reinforced its electrification strategy by stating that it aims for fully electric cars to make up 50 per cent of its global sales by 2025. The announcement was made at the 2018 Beijing Auto Show.
The new S60 will be based on Volvo’s in-house developed SPA platform, which also underpins the company’s new 90 Series and 60 Series cars. The S60’s wagon sibling, the V60, was unveiled earlier this year.
The new S60 is confirmed to be initially available with a range of 4-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 fall at Volvo Cars’ new manufacturing facility in the US state of South Carolina.
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