Volvo S60L Petrol Plug-In Hybrid concept slated for 2014 Beijing Motor Show debut

By Stephen Edelstein April 18, 2014

For its first production plug-in hybrid, Volvo chose a diesel station wagon. The V60 plug-in hybrid remains an unusual vehicle in one of the automotive industry’s newest niches.

The Volvo S60L Petrol Plug-In Hybrid set to debut at the 2014 Beijing Motor Show follows a more conventional route. Like the name says, this plug-in has a gasoline engine under the hood.

Based on the recently-updated S60 sedan, the S60L PPHEV features a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine from Volvo’s Drive-E family, which produces 238 horsepower on its own.

The engine is teamed with an eight-speed automatic transmission, an electric motor good for additional 68 hp, and an 11.2-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack.

While the gasoline engine drives the front wheels as it does in a normal S60, the electric motor drives the rear wheels, giving the car all-wheel drive. There are also three driving modes that adjust the distribution of power depending on how the car is being used.

In the default “Hybrid” mode, the S60L plug-in uses both its gasoline and electric power sources for fuel-efficient cruising, while “Pure” mode switches the car to all-electric power. Volvo estimates the electric-only range at around 31 miles.

Finally, there’s a “Power” mode for your inner Jeremy Clarkson. With this performance-oriented setting, Volvo says the S60L plug-in will do 0 to 62 mph in 5.5 seconds.

However, Chinese customers will most likely be the only ones who will get to experience this range of performance.

The Volvo S60L plug-in hybrid will be launched in China next year, and will be built locally at a plant in Chengdu. Plans for sales in other markets have not been announced.

However, Volvo still might put plug-in powertrains in other future models, including the next XC90 SUV.

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Stephen Edelstein

Contributing Editor

Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…

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