Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid model

Volvo has released the details of their new, technically advanced, V60 Plug-in Hybrid model which is an electric car, hybrid car and muscle-car all rolled into one. With the touch of the button you choose which one of these cars you want to drive. 

In Pure mode the car is powered solely by its electric motor as much as possible, with a range of up to 32 miles with zero emissions. The Hybrid setting is the standard driving mode for the car, with the diesel engine and electric motor working in tandem. CO2 emissions are 49g/km and the range in this mode is up to 621 miles.

However if you opt for Power Mode, the car technology is optimised for maximum performance and the 2.4-litre diesel and electric motor’s combined power of 285bhp (215+70) offers you a 0-62mph acceleration time of just 6.2 seconds. The car also has an AWD button that activates the electrical four-wheel drive (diesel power to the front wheels and electrical power to the rear). Due to the electric motor’s lower power the AWD (all-wheel drive) system can only operate up to speeds of 75mph, however if you are driving in the snow or mud this is probably fast enough.

Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid model

The V60 Plug-in Hybrid can be fully charged from a regular power outlet (230V/6A, 10A or 16A) at home and recharging times will vary with amperage. A full charge takes 4.5 hours on a 10A outlet and this is cut to 3.5 hours with 16A, or if you only have access to 6A then the charge takes 7.5 hours.

The indicative price for the world’s first plug-in hybrid with a diesel engine starts from £45,000 to £50,000 in the UK, minus of course any government Plug-in Car Grant for electric cars. Initial production will start with 1,000 vehicles in November 2012 and these vehicles will be offered with Pure Limited specification which includes the highest SE Lux trim level.

It will also be launched in one colour, Electric Silver, and also comes with aero-designed 17-inch alloy wheels, integrated exhaust tailpipes and various gloss black body features for example on the grille and spoiler. Other standard equipment includes parking sensors front and rear, High Performance Multimedia DVD audio system with eight loudspeakers and seven-inch screen, Bluetooth phone link, electrically adjustable driver’s seat and speed-dependent power steering.

The car also features a D6 badge, the first Volvo to carry this emblem, plus chromed Plug-in Hybrid badging on the tailgate and front wings. Inside the car you get a black leather upholstery covered steering wheel and other distinctive features like the specially designed floor mats and a gear knob with integrated indicator.

A special feature of the car is its Save Mode which conserves the battery charge for driving later in Pure Mode. The aim of this feature is to always ensure you have enough battery power for around 12.5 miles on pure electricity driving alone which may be useful when driving into an urban green zone.

Animal Detection safety system

Volvo is working on a new Animal Detection system which is based on their Pedestrian Detection with Full Auto Brake technology. The current Volvo Pedestrian Detection system is available on the S60, V60, XC60, V70, XC70 and S80 car range and uses radar and camera technology.

In Sweden alone, more than 40,000 accidents a year are reported, where a collision has occurred with a wild animal and the development of this new Animal Detection system is in line with Volvo Car Corporation’s vision for 2020, which is nobody shall be seriously injured or killed in a new Volvo car.

The radar and camera technology notifies the driver if an animal is within range by an audible sound and if the driver does not react, the brakes are automatically applied. One of the biggest challenges that Volvo faced is teaching the system to recognise different animals and their engineers spent an evening at a safari park, digitally logging film sequences and behavioural patterns for animals such as moose, deer, etc. This data will be used to evaluate and develop the new system in due course.

Volvo has a reputation for producing extremely safe cars and if you are interested we have the full range available now on Volvo car leasing.

Volvo Ocean Race Limited Edition models

The Volvo Ocean Race starts in Alicante on October the 29th and finishes in Galway on Ireland on July 7th 2012 and  entrants of the world’s most challenging sailing race will visit Cape Town, Auckland, China and Brazil, to name just a few countries on the itinerary. Volvo has now launched three limited edition models specifically designed with this sailing adventure in mind.

The Volvo V60, XC60 and XC70 will have the Volvo Ocean Race limited editions added to their respective ranges with two colour options, Volvo Ocean Blue II or Electric Silver, in conjunction with off-black and soft beige leather upholstery, embossed with the Volvo Ocean Race Logo on the backrest of the front seats.

Other features include aluminium wheels, chromed detailing and the Volvo Ocean Race emblem on the front wings. Inside the load cover also gets the logo as does the tread plate, plus the Human Machine Interface start-up display shows the logo and text as well. We hope to load Volvo contract hire leasing prices on the new models shortly.

Volvo DRIVe models

Volvo has now added the 1.6-litre turbo diesel engines into the new Volvo S60 and V60 now offers even greater choice for company car driver’s looking for low CO2 cars. Both the new cars are fitted with a six-speed manual gearbox and start/stop technology, plus the S60 DRIVe and V60 DRIVe now produce 114g/km and 119g/km respectively. Combined mpg is also excellent at 65.7 and 62.8.

These new 1.6-litre DRIVe engines both offer less than 120g/km, which means no road tax for the first year and also under current legislation, only £30 a year thereafter. For business users, this will be built into the Volvo contract hire leasing rental calculation already and we hope to load prices on the new models soon.

New Volvo GTDI petrol engine

Volvo has announced it is introducing two new four cylinder 1.6-litre petrol engines ( T3 and T4) with Gasoline Turbocharged Direction Injection (GTDI) technology. The 1.6 GTDI T3 offers 150 PS while the T4 offers 180 PS and both engines will be available in the all-new Volvo S60 and V60 later this year.

Both engines will feature DRIVe fuel saving technology as well with the manual version offering a Start/Stop system that shuts off the engine when the car is standing still and in neutral. As soon as you press the clutch the engine restarts. The T4 engine will also be available with Volvo’s six-speed Powershift gearbox which combines the manual gearbox’s efficiency and driving dynamics with the automatic transmissions’s smoothness.