The S60 is based on the V60 wagon and represents the model’s first update since 2010, when Volvo was in the process of being unloaded by Ford and picked up by Chinese automaker Geely. It will be built on Volvo’s Scalable Platform Architecture, which also underpins its new 90 Series and 60 Series vehicles. Volvo unveiled the new V60 earlier this year in Stockholm.
Volvo says the S60 represents its first step in the company’s commitment to move beyond the combustion engine and electrify its fleet of vehicles, a plan first announced in July 2017. The company last month said it aims to have fully electric vehicles make up 50 percent of its sales globally by 2025. All new Volvo models launched from 2019 on will be made available as either a mild hybrid, plug-in hybrid or full-electric vehicle. So far, Volvo offers only plug-in hybrid versions of the XC90, S90 and XC60, plus the upcoming V60.
“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,” Volvo President and CEO Hakan Samuelsson said in a statement. “The new S60 represents the next step in that commitment.”
We’ve gotten a couple sneak peaks of the new model this year, first from Samuelsson’s Twitter feed, of a heavily camouflaged version, and later a rear three-quarters shot from a Swedish news outlet. The latter showed a Honda-esque sedan with a rear end similar to the larger S90 and side creases along the lower doors that are similar to the V60. The car is expected to grow longer and narrower than the outgoing version. In addition to the plug-in hybrid versions, the S60 will initially be offered with a range of four-cylinder Drive-E engines, likely including a 250-horsepower turbo-four with front-wheel drive and a 316-hp supercharged and turbocharged four-cylinder with all-wheel drive.
Other automakers including Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and Ford have also pledged to electrify part or all of their products in the coming years.
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