Yahoo Autos The Current One Is Volvo's Final Gas Engine Family
During Volvo's ultra casual V60 reveal in the well-off side of Stockholm's suburbs, CEO Håkan Samuelsson and his colleagues answered a few questions regarding the company's grand plans for the near future. America happens to play a crucial part in them, and not just as Volvo's second largest market after China.
The S60 sedan will arrive at the end of this year straight from Volvo's new factory in Charleston, South Carolina. Simultaneously, R&D and design work will take place in the U.S. as well, while Volvo teams up with a number of established brands in order to provide relevant digital services to its customers.
That's cool, but how about more power?
More power will come, but not necessarily from the internal combustion side of the powertrain. From 2019, all Volvos will have more than one electrified variant, be those T6 or T8 plug-in hybrids, or something wilder involving its new three-cylinder engine. That is until the core brand can follow Polestar into the pure EV game. In the meantime, the hybrids will get more powerful (and higher-revving) electric motors, which send all of their torque to the rear axle. That means future Volvos can have rear-biased AWD systems, which enhance the driving experience by cutting understeer.
This also means Volvo won't continue using its budget to develop new internal combustion engines. In fact, the current generation of single- or twin-charged inline engines represent Volvo's last gasoline family. Of course, the option of adding an extra electric turbo to push the two-liter closer to the 400 horsepower mark is still up in the air, but if Volvo's electric motors get powerful enough in time, it's hard to see what could justify such a complication.
New times, new platforms
Volvo's platforms are anything but light. In fact, the mid-sized V60, which is based on the SPA architecture under the V90, can weigh up to 4561 lbs. with all the hybrid technology onboard. Still, while the new SPA due in 2021 is promised to be lighter, weight-saving is not the highest priority on Volvo's list. Using Swedish steel and providing maximum safety are, and the electric torque will be there to take care of the load.
No niche models for you, son!
Today, Volvo is an SUV brand. And one that will also love and sell its wagons for all eternity. Håkan Samuelsson believes that when you build such a pretty one as the V60, you're obligated to take the extra step, and offer a sedan as well. That's why the S60 is coming, from America and for America.
On the other hand, he also said that focusing on those core models is important for Volvo. SUVs, sedans, wagons, raised wagons. Dreaming of shooting brakes, coupes or pickup trucks sure is a fun thing to do, but let's not forget that Volvo had to launch a separate performance brand before it could do its two-door concept for real.
Care for Care by Volvo?
The carmaker will offer the V60 with the Care by Volvo subscription ownership service. Introduced with the XC40 compact SUV, the all-inclusive deal has gained them 1000 global orders so far, but it's early days for this sales model, and getting a well-equipped new car with insurance and maintenance for $600 a month will certainly attract more in the coming months.
Pricing for the V60 with or without Care by Volvo will come later. Expect the plan to expand to more models.
Android
The big news is that Volvo will switch to an Android-based infotainment system in 2019, meaning that your car will indeed start to work like a fancy smartphone. Volvos will have an app for somebody refueling your car, washing your car, and pretty much everything else Google can help with.
Dude, just talk Polestars already!
While the Polestar brand is busy setting up its factory in China, a separate team will continue to work on Engineered by Polestar Volvos in Sweden, giving us more power, and crucially, those motorsport-inspired chassis featuring the best dampers Öhlins has to offer. But one question remains: How long do we have to wait for them? The V60 is out, and it feels like a proper V60 Polestar should be parked right next to it already. A blue one.
What's for sure is that future Polestars will be electrified, and there's a long way to go with those lithium-ion battery packs before the industry can switch to solid states, which should happen roughly around 2025, according to Volvo's experts.
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