Volvo Cars simultaneously rolled out a new car and a new manufacturing facility the other day. That’s a double you don’t see happening very often. The new car in question is the S60 sedan, and the factory is the company?s first American manufacturing plant, located outside Charleston, South Carolina. The Swedes say the factory opening reinforces Volvo Cars? commitment to the United States, and shows how serious they are about the new S60.
Electric Avenue
Volvo points out how the new S60 is the first Volvo car to be sold without a diesel engine. Volvo says this signals “the company?s industry-leading commitment to electrification and a future beyond the traditional combustion engine.” I say it also shows that Volvo doesn’t want to get caught up in a Scandinavian version of diesel-gate and end up with various board members being thrown into Saltvik Prison. (BTW, when looking up a funny Swedish prison name, I came across this: Prison Life in Scandinavia – Discover Scandinavia; seriously dude, an article from a Scandinavian tourist site about how great their prisons are!) But it’s more than just that, Volvo seems very serious about this whole EV thing, saying that from 2019 all new models will be electrified.
2019 Volvo S60 R-Design. Photo: Volvo Car Group.
Power & Performance
This new, American-built S60 will be propelled by the company’s turbo and supercharged T8 Twin Engine Plug­-In Hybrid system. The internal combustion p...