Volvo’s new S60 sports sedan in SA next year

Volvo Cars has revealed the new S60 mid-size premium sports sedan at the company’s first US manufacturing plant in Charleston, South Carolina.

The combined car launch and factory opening reinforce Volvo Cars’ commitment to the US, an important market for the company and its new sedan. The S60 is the first Volvo car made in the US.

It is the first Volvo to be sold without a diesel offer, signalling the company’s commitment to electrification and a long-term future beyond the traditional combustion engine. In 2017 Volvo Cars was the first global car maker to announce its strategy that from 2019 all new models will be electrified.

In South Africa, the S60 will be available with two turbo-charged petrol engines (T4 and T5), as well as a super and turbo-charged petrol derivative (T6). It will be introduced locally next year, but final dates and specification are not yet available. The T6 and T8 Twin Engines are under consideration for SA.

“The active chassis and drive modes deliver excellent control and an engaged performance that makes this a driver’s car,” said Henrik Green, the company’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 sedans on the market.”

The 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. This makes the S60 one of the safest cars on the road.

Volvo Cars’ Sensus Connect infotainment system is fully compatible with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and 4G, and keeps drivers connected at all times. The intuitive control is a tablet-style touch screen interface that combines car functions, navigation, connected services and in-car entertainment apps.

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 output to 305kW. This model is also under consideration for South Africa.