Since May of this year, Volvo has been planning to sell the V60 Diesel Plug-in Hybrid electric vehicle by the end of 2012. Recently, Volvo announced that the first 1,000 units, all of the 2013 model year vehicles have been purchased. Volvo says ‘the order books for next year’s cars are already filling up.’ This is all before the Volvo V60 PHEV has even hit the showrooms! Volvo expects to sell 5000 of the V60 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles as of model year 2014.
The first 1,000 Volvo V60 PHEVs are a ‘Pure Limited” edition which has electric silver, aero designed 17 inch wheels and integrated exhaust tailpipes. When the electric vehicle was introduced last year, Volvo said it would be powered by a 5 cylinder 2.4 liter turbo diesel engine with 215 horsepower and 325 lb-ft of torque. The electric powertrain consists of a 11.2 kWh lithium ion battery pack and a 70hp electric motor. The diesel engine powers the front wheels, while the electric motor powers the rear wheels of the Volvo V60 PHEV, and it can go up to 32 miles on pure electric power.
Volvo is estimating the V60 plug-in hybrid will cost around $81,000 US (equivalent) and it may even be available in the US if there are any of the 5,000 unsold.
