V60 Hybrid due 2013

Volvo Australia hopes to offer the V60 Plug-in Hybrid to local buyers from 2013. The diesel-engined wagon is "confirmed at this stage," Volvo MD Matt Braid told motoring.com.au in Sweden today.

"We've certainly put up our hand for it," he said.

And why not? Like some of the clever hybrids now entering the market, the V60 Plug-in Hybrid is an impressive vehicle that combines overall driveability with almost all the practicality of a conventional car. The Clark Kent of eco motoring, the Volvo is unassuming in the way it goes about its business, but it achieves the same acceleration times as the petrol T6 model of V60, and has been rated at just 1.9L/100km in the NEDC combined-cycle test.

"The current car... is being put into limited production this year. Those numbers will expand next year and we've put our hand up to hopefully get the next wave... We're looking at all things from the point of view of [ADR] homologation and so forth," said Mr Braid.

The V60 Hybrid comprises a diesel engine up front, and electric power at the rear. Unlike GM's Volt, which notionally relies on the internal-combustion engine merely to charge the onboard battery, the Volvo's diesel mechanically drives the wheels at the front through a conventional automatic transmission, albeit one with an electric pump to keep the parts lubricated while the vehicle is on the move, but the diesel engine isn't spinning.

Other than the electric pump, there's little of the Volt's complexity. No planetary gear sets, for instance. Nor does the V60 try to combine torque from the two power units mechanically, as in Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive CVTs. The electric motor drives just the rear wheels and the diesel drives just the front wheels; only an electronic system orchestrates the work done by the two powerplants.

There are three modes for the operation of the V60 Hybrid. 'Pure' is the EV mode, when just the 70hp electric motor at the rear is propelling the car. Providing a 50km range, the pure mode will allow the Volvo to accelerate respectably well up to a ceiling speed of 120km/h.

The default mode operates from start-up and can offer the all-wheel drive traction either actively or passively. In the event the vehicle detects a loss of traction, it will kick in whichever power unit is not operating at the time to overcome the problem. Volvo has also developed a 'Sport' mode for the car, which basically delivers constant all-wheel drive traction from the two power units working together.

Batteries are lithium-ion supplied by LG-Chem in Korea. Volvo claims the batteries will last the life of the car.

The battery pack eats into the boot space, reducing the conventional car's luggage capacity from 430 to 305 litres. While that volume doesn't compare with many conventional small cars, let alone a larger vehicle rivalling the V60 in size, the Volvo's boot space is more practical than many hybrids because the length and width of the load space remain the same as in the conventional car, plus the rear seats can be lowered to liberate more goods-carrying capacity.

The fuel tank for the diesel engine has been reduced in volume from 72 litres to 45, providing some of the additional packaging space the battery requires. Despite that, Volvo says the V60 Hybrid can still manage a range of 1000km between refills. And for those owners who rarely venture far from home — and this is where the Volvo is more like the Volt — the Li-ion battery pack can be charged from domestic 6Amp, 10Amp and 16Amp power outlets. In Australia the 10Amp outlet is almost universal.

Volvo is building an initial batch of 1000 cars in a limited edition model run. 300 of those cars are allocated for sale in Sweden and none at all will be reaching Australia. The company does plan to continue production of a slightly lower-spec model next year though, anticipating up to 6000 units per annum will be manufactured in Volvo's Gothenburg plant in southern Sweden. It's from this continuing production model that Australia will source its V60 Hybrid models.

What premium would people willingly pay for a plug-in hybrid (diesel) versus a conventional diesel, motoring.com.au asked Matt Braid.

"Wouldn't have a clue... There is a danger with that car that if you priced it purely on technology you could price it out of people's eyesight...

"Our aim with the V60 Plug-in Hybrid would not be to sell it in great numbers. It's more a case of it would be a halo car or a demonstration of what Volvo is capable of [from] an environmental technology point of view. But as far as being a mainstream model that is going to sell thousands a year, it's not going to be that; it's juggling the price.

"We obviously have to make the car viable for Australia, given the technology and investment in R&D for the car, but also on the basis that we can't [place] it so far beyond anyone's reach that we only sell a couple," Mr Braid stated.

Mr Braid subsequently said that the car would be certain to sell for less than $100,000 in Australia. The asking price — in SEK, the Swedish currency — is 559,600, (around AUD $80,000). With the Swedish government offering buyers a SEK 40,000 cash-back incentive to purchase the V60 Hybrid. That brings it down quite close to the same Swedish domestic price for the conventional V60 D5 AWD optioned up to the same specification. No such retail incentives exist in Australia.

During the drive program for the V60 Hybrid, motoring.com.au also drove Volvo's C30 Electric, which is a battery-electric vehicle based on the conventional C30 three-door hatch. Powered by an 82kW motor that develops 200Nm, the C30 EV offers a range of up to 140km and a top speed of 130km/h.

Alas we won't see it in Australia.

"We were looking at it when it was first announced [asking] 'is it a possibility? Could we look at it?' [But] Given the production numbers and the technology involved for us, it just doesn't make sense at this point in time. There would only be a limited number for Australia and [on] some sort of lease-type arrangement... it would be very difficult," Mr Braid explained.

The electric C30 starts with much the same packaging constraints as the fossil-fuelled C30, but for the hip young things around town, the EV is no more compromised — and actually easier to drive.

Watch out for our quick spin reviews of both the V60 Plug-in Hybrid and the C30 Electric.

Read the latest news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at carsales' mobile site…