Volvo Confirms Diesel, Plug-In Hybrids for North American Market

Back in June, we reported on Volvo’s plans to develop fuel-efficient vehicles such as diesel and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), but one important detail was not clear about this plan: the availability of said vehicles in North America. Although Volvo’s timetable for bringing advanced vehicle technologies will begin in 2012 with the introduction of a PHEV in Europe, it’s not clear when these vehicles will begin to appear in the United States market yet. In addition to diesel and hybrid vehicles, Volvo will also debut more fuel-efficient gasoline engines, and we expect to see Volvo’s new green technologies no later than the 2016 model year when Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) regulations are set to increase to a 35.5 miles per gallon average.

Volvo Cars of North America CEO Doug Speck said that three main factors will play a role in which technologies automakers will need to develop to thrive heading into the future: fuel prices, hybrid interest and government support.

"It's unclear ultimately what percentage of each is going to drive the industry," Speck said. “I think all car companies have to have their strategy to allow them to succeed in all three areas.”

Volvo hasn’t released official plans for introducing diesel and hybrid vehicles in North America, but it has shown off a handful of concept vehicles recently that would all make perfect candidates. Earlier this year, Volvo introduced a trio of low-emission, diesel-powered vehicles with theall-new DRIVe package, while electric vehicles have been popping up as Volvo concepts since the 2007 ReCharge Concept based on the C30.

Similar to the Mercedes-Benz BlueEfficiency and BMW’s EfficientDynamics, Volvo’s DRIVe vehicles get improvements through the powertrain as well as aerodynamics to reduce emissions and improve fuel economy. Volvo showed DRIVe versions of the C30, S40 and V50 at this year’s Paris Motor Show, and it claims the improvements should result in fuel economy estimates above 50 mpg and vastly reduced vehicle emissions. Besides numerous design changes aimed at improving aerodynamics, the heart of the DRIVe vehicles is a 1.6-liter turbocharged inline-4 diesel engine.

As for Volvo’s electric and hybrid vehicles, it has shown off a PHEV version of the V70 wagon and the ReCharge Concept which is a series hybrid that operates similar to the Chevrolet Volt. The Volvo V70 PHEV uses an 11.3 kWh lithium ion battery pack in the rear cargo area to power the motor mounted to vehicle’s rear wheels which allows for a range of 30 miles under electric power only. After the 30 miles, the diesel engine will take over to power the front wheels. In a different use of electric vehicle technology, the Volvo ReCharge can travel more than 60 miles on just electric power before requiring the 1.6-liter flex-fuel inline-4 to kick in to charge the battery pack. Unlike the V70, power to all four wheels would come directly from the electric motors regardless of whether or not the engine is running.

Just because Volvo is shifting some of its focus toward fuel-efficient vehicles, the company is working hard to keep its safety credibility as well. The automaker renowned for its safety will be introducing a collision system warning system on theall-new S60 sedan. In a video, Volvo showed a camouflaged S60 prototype driving through the Copenhagen, Denmark using a system very similar to the City Safety System that debuted on the 2010 Volvo XC60. As a more advanced model, the Collision Warning System can identify pedestrians using a radar mounted in the grille and a video camera behind the windshield and it can warn the driver of impending collisions and even stop (or at least slow down) the vehicle to prevent the collision.