VOLVO has revealed its new S60 sports saloon as the Swedish car maker officially opened its new factory in the United States where the car will be built.
The new S60 will be the first Volvo car to be sold without a diesel offering and will be the first Volvo to be made in the US at the new plant in Charleston, South Carolina.
Signalling the company's commitment to electrification and a long-term future beyond the traditional combustion engine, Volvo Cars was the first global car maker to announce that from 2019 all new models will be electrified.
Two turbocharged and supercharged plug-in hybrid petrol engines will be available in the new S60 - Volvo's T6 Twin Engine AWD plug-in hybrid that generates a combined 340hp, and the award-winning T8 Twin Engine AWD plug-in hybrid that delivers 400hp on US specification models.
Volvo's proven T5 and T6 petrol engines will be available at launch in selected markets.
In a first for the segment, customers can access the new S60 via Volvo Cars' new premium subscription service, Care by Volvo, which offers car access with no down payment via a monthly flat-fee subscription rather than ownership.
"The active chassis and drive modes deliver excellent control and an engaged performance that makes this a driver's car," said Henrik Green, Volvo's senior vice president for research and development. "It also brings the acclaimed technology from our 90 series and other 60 series cars into this segment, making it one of the best sports saloonson the market."
The new S60 shares Volvo Cars' own Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) platform, safety technology and infotainment system with the new V60 premium mid-size estate, launched earlier this year, as well as the top-of-the-line 90 series cars and award-winning XC60, all of which have achieved industry-leading safety ratings.
Volvo says this makes the new S60 one of the safest cars on the road.
The City Safety with Autobrake technology assists the driver in avoiding potential collisions and is the only system on the market to recognise pedestrians, cyclists and large animals. In a world first for the mid-size saloon segment, City Safety now also engages auto braking to mitigate oncoming collisions.
The optional Pilot Assist system - which supports the driver with steering, acceleration and braking on well-marked roads up to 80mph- has been upgraded with improved cornering performance.
The S60 also includes Run-off Road Mitigation, Oncoming Lane Mitigation and other steering-assistance systems. The optional Cross Traffic Alert with autobrake further enhances safety for people inside and outside the car.
Volvo Cars' Sensus Connect infotainment system is fully compatible with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and 4G, and keeps drivers connected at all times.
Electrified versions of the new S60 also offer a performance handling upgrade called Polestar Engineered - developed by Volvo Cars' electric performance arm, Polestar.
Polestar Engineered is available exclusively on the T8 Twin Engine plug-in hybrid and is a complete offer that upgrades the car's wheels, brakes, suspension and engine control unit, boosting the S60 T8's combined power output to 415hp.
Production of the new S60 will start thisautumn and further details including prices are to be announced later.