According to a new report by the Financial Times, the announcement comes after a statement last year by Volvo CEO Håkan Samuelsson, in which he stated that emissions regulations and development costs have made oil burners unviable options compared to hybrid power units.
Prior to this, Samuelsson also stated that every new model from 2019 will feature an electric motor, with five new models from both Volvo and its Polestar division expected to debut between 2019 and 2021.
“We’re not saying diesel is dirtier, but it’s more complicated and more expensive. Our future is electric and we will no longer develop a new generation of diesel engines. We will phase out cars with only an internal combustion engine, with petrol hybrid versions as a transitional option as we move towards full electrification. The new S60 represents the next step in that commitment," Samuelsson said.
Leaked earlier this year on social media, the new S60 will closely resemble the bigger S90, and ride on Volvo’s Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) platform with power coming the brand’s 2.0-litre Drive E in both turbo-petrol and petrol-hybrid forms, the latter being the familiar T8 and the new 251 kW/590 Nm T6 that debuted in the V60.
S60 renders by Kleber Silva
