Volvo V60 diesel plug-in hybrid – again

Volvo V60 Plug-in Diesel Hybrid

Last month we reported on the innovative Volvo V60 diesel plug-in hybrid, a proper advance in hybrid gubbins which Volvo are planning on revealing – in practically production-ready form – at next weeks Geneva Motor Show.

We first reported Volvo’s intention to bring a diesel hybrid to market by 2012 back in 2009, and the story we ran at the end of January was confirmation of that.

But now Volvo has churned out a chunky press release to tell us exactly what the V60 plug-in hybrid will offer, so we thought we ought to revisit this story one more time before Geneva.

To be honest, we’re not sure that the press release from Volvo tells us any more than we already know, but as a world firts – a plug-in diesel hybrid – it’s worthy of another story.

To recap, the Volvo V60 plug-in hybrid gets a 2.4 litre turbodiesel delivering 215bhp to the front wheels and an electric motor powering the rear wheels – and developing 70bhp – fed by a 12kWh lithium-ion battery pack.

All is fed to the wheels through a proper, 6-speed auto ‘box – none of your namby-pamby CVT ‘boxes here – and Volvo are keen to let us know they actually want the V60 plug-0in to be a car to have fun in. Of which we approve.

Economy figures are the usual ‘Official’ nonsense, and come out at 150mpg and 49g/km CO2. It won’t be cheap to buy – Volvo’s told us it will attract a premium over a regular V60 – but they do say the V60 plug-in will cost a third as much to fuel as a regular diesel V60.

We’ll see more at Geneva, but for all the Volvo bumph on the V60 plug-in, take a look at the Volvo V60 plug-in hybrid press release.

By Cars UK