Volvo wants 10% of sales to be plug-ins by 2020

If Volvo has its way, one in 10 of its new vehicles will be of the plug-in variety by the end of the decade. The Swedish automaker, long known for its somewhat boxy and very safe (and pretty heavy, for that matter) vehicles is looking to put more of an emphasis on sales of plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles, Plug In Cars says. Volvo started taking reservations for its plug-in hybrid XC90 T8 SUV earlier this year. Many years ago, it offered an all-electric C30 for a limited time (and at tremendous cost).

The full-size, plug-in SUV has a gas-powered engine and an electric motor powering the front wheels and another electric motor driving the rear axle. The upshot is that the SUV will have 400 horsepower and 472 pound-feet of torque. The sort-of-down side is that the car will only be able to go as far as 17 miles on electricity alone. Use a good chunk of that horsepower, and that range likely dips quite a bit. Other models likely to follow the XC90’s lead include the S90 sedan.

Volvo is a little further along in Europe. There, the company started sales of its V60 diesel plug-in hybrid in 2013. A year later, Volvo started offering the R-Design package that added 18-inch wheels, perforated leather seats, and a black headliner. Sportiness aside, that car could go about 30 miles on electricity alone, and got about 131 miles per gallon equivalent (using the more lenient European driving cycle). Meanwhile, take a look at our impressions of the XC90 here.

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