Volvo Cars has revealed a glimpse of its strategic thinking at the Geneva Motor Show, unveiling a new V60 Twin Engine version, the European debut of several new product variants and completing its roll-out of the celebrated Drive-E powertrain line-up across the product portfolio.
The full XC90 range
The highlight of the Volvo stand was the display of the full range of XC90s – from the high-end Inscription and R-Design trim levels to the Momentum, with the appropriately named Rugged and Urban Luxury accessory styling kits also on display. The XC90 will be available at dealerships this spring.
Europe’s bestselling premium plug-in hybrid
The European debut of the V60 and S60 Cross Country variants, unveiled recently, set the scene for the announcement that Europe’s bestselling premium plug-in hybrid, the V60 D6 Twin Engine, would be joined by a D5 Twin Engine in the coming months. This will broaden Volvo’s already strong plug-in hybrid Twin Engine Technology offer. The XC90 T8 Twin Engine delivers a class-leading no compromise 2.5 l/100 km and just 59 g/km CO2 and around 400 hp. The launch of the V60 D5 Twin Engine will be celebrated with a Special Edition of the car limited to five hundred units.
The V60 D5 Twin Engine will deliver 120 kW via the engine and about 50 kW from its 11.2 kWh Lithium-ion battery pack using the same proven configuration used in the V60 D6 Twin Engine. This translates to a maximum driveline power output of approximately 230 hp when the electric motor and diesel engine are working simultaneously.
On top of the product news, Volvo Cars also exhibited continued refinement of its core innovation brands – Drive-E, Sensus and Intellisafe.
Drive-E powertrain program roll-out
As the premium segment leader in CO2 versus bodyweight reduction in recent years*, Volvo Cars continues to deliver significant steps towards zero emissions with the introduction of some of the best-performing powertrains in the industry.
The V40 D2 with a manual transmission starts at just 82 g/km – a best in class performance that exceeds most taxation band requirements across Europe. The S60 D2 manual, which leads in its class, starts at only 96 g/km. The same powertrain on a V60 starts at a highly competitive 98 g/km. Further improvements in fuel consumption and lowered emission levels can also be seen in the XC60 D4 AWD, which has seen a 12 per cent reduction in emissions, and the D5 2.4 AWD automatic, which is down to just 149 g/km.
Starting in 2013, Volvo Cars began to roll out its new generation of mid-powered 4-cylinder-based powertrains. 2015 will see the addition of a full range of high- and low-powered 4-cylinder variants.
Sensus and smart watches
One of the most widely appreciated features related to the Sensus offer, Volvo On Call, allows Volvo drivers to communicate directly with their cars via a smartphone application to lock, unlock, check fuel levels, pre-heat, pre-cool, locate and check the mileage of the car. For 2015, Volvo On Call will be updated, adding a new graphical user interface and completely new functionality including predictive notifications, enhanced send-to-car capabilities, diagnostics views and smartwatch support for Android Wear, Apple Watch, iPad support and voice control via Cortana for Windows Phone.
IntelliSafe: a commitment to Vision 2020
Building on the already strong safety offer that Volvo delivers across the product portfolio, the new XC90, comes with the most comprehensive standard safety offer on the market. This is fully in-line with Volvo’s Vision 2020 strategy – to push the boundaries of car safety to the point where no one will be killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo by the year 2020.
Notes to Editors
*For more information on the progress of premium car makers in reducing CO2 emissions versus weight, please follow this link and see the graph at the end of the page: http://www.eea.europa.eu/highlights/car-and-van-makers-continue
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Volvo Car Group in 2014
For the 2014 financial year, Volvo Car Group recorded an operating profit of 2,252 MSEK (1,919 MSEK in 2013). Revenue over the period amounted to 129,959 MSEK (122,245 MSEK). For the full year 2014, global sales reached a record 465,866 cars, an increase of 8.9 per cent versus 2013. The record sales and operating profit cleared the way for Volvo Car Group to continue investing in its global transformation plan.
About Volvo Car Group
Volvo has been in operation since 1927. Today, Volvo Cars is one of the most well-known and respected car brands in the world with sales of 465,866 in 2014 in about 100 countries. Volvo Cars has been under the ownership of the Zhejiang Geely Holding (Geely Holding) of China since 2010. It formed part of the Swedish Volvo Group until 1999, when the company was bought by Ford Motor Company of the US. In 2010, Volvo Cars was acquired by Geely Holding.
As of December 2014, Volvo Cars had over 25,000 employees worldwide. Volvo Cars head office, product development, marketing and administration functions are mainly located in Gothenburg, Sweden. Volvo Cars head office for China is located in Shanghai. The company’s main car production plants are located in Gothenburg (Sweden), Ghent (Belgium) and Chengdu (China), while engines are manufactured in Skövde (Sweden) and Zhangjiakou (China) and body components in Olofström (Sweden).
