First 1000 examples of V60 hybrid have already been sold
Volvo has already made plans to increase production of its first diesel-electric hybrid, despite the model not being launched until 2013.
The initial 1000-car production run of the V60 hybrid has already found buyers, so the Swedish firm plans to increase output to 4000-6000 cars from 2014.
Although technical highlights of the plug-in hybrid have yet to be announced, Volvo claims a range of up to 32 miles from the 11.2kW lithium ion battery alone, while the diesel engine to which it is mated will undoubtedly be a pre-existing Volvo unit.
Along with the new battery, the V60 hybrid features more than 300 extra parts over the standard V60, including the battery cooling system, high-voltage cables and additional battery drive shaft.
The hybrid, which has been built in co-operation with Swedish electricity supplier Vattenfall, will be assembled on the same production line as the standard V60, V70, XC70, S80 and XC90 models at Volvo’s Torslanda plant in Gothenburg.
Tom Heron