Volvo Car Co. will show up at the imminent North American International Auto Show in Detroit with the innovative XC60 Plug-in Hybrid Concept, a highly economic SUV that also exploits the power of a petrol engine. The most distinctive feature of the model is perhaps the fact that drivers will be able to decide how to combine the two power sources by the simple touch of a button, a new technology that President and CEO of Volvo Car Corporation, Mr. Stefan Jacoby, describes “as ingenious as it is unique“, adding that “no other manufacturer has succeeded in delivering fuel economy and electrical range on this level in a capable, spacious performance car with 350 horsepower on tap.”

More specifically, drivers will be able to choose the driving mode by three buttons placed on the instrument panel: Pure (electric motor only), Hybrid (the standard setting, with gasoline and electric engines cooperating to provide maximum driving pleasure with minimum environmental impact) and Power (with the two units working together to create maximum possible power). The petrol engine is a turbocharged 2.0-litre 4 cylinder unit delivering 280 hp and 380 Nm of peak torque while the electric motor produces an output of 70 hp with 20o Nm of maximum torque, making up a grand total of 350 hp. Performance figures are not bad at all for an hybrid vehicle: with the ‘Power’ mode on, the carmaker claims a 0-100 km/h (62 mph) sprint time of 5.8 seconds with a top speed of almost 210 km/h (130 mph). With the ‘Hybrid’ mode activated, the performance of the model is not as good but the average fuel consumption goes down to 2.3 l/100km and CO2 emissions would be 53 g/km, with a full autonomy of about 960 km (about 600 miles), whereas the ‘Pure’ mode gives the car 45 km (28 miles) of range. The 12 kWh lithium-ion battery pack installed under the floor of the load compartment can be recharged from a regular power outlet, reaching the full charge from a 220v/12A source in 3.5 hours.

The electric motors provide power to the rear axle while the whereas the petrol unit feeds the front wheels. The latter is coupled to a 8-speed automatic transmission and works together with an Integrated Starter motor and Generator (ISG) connected to the crankshaft, which is located between the engine and the transmission, which delivers an extra 45 hp during acceleration and charges the battery during braking. To find out more about the model, check out the official Press Release issued by Volvo North America after the jump, where you will also see a short video-presentation of the main feature of Volvo XC60’s innovative hybrid powertrain.

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