Volvo S60 L plug-in petrol hybrid heading for Beijing Motor Show

Volvo will be debuting a petrol plug-in hybrid version of the long wheelbase S60 saloon at the Beijing Motor Show ahead of a production version.

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The Volvo V60 Plug-in is already doing good business for Volvo – despite a price tag of £50k – but the V60 plug-in is a diesel hybrid which doesn’t suit all markets.

So Volvo are ploughing ahead with a petrol engine based plug-in hybrid with the debut at the Beijing Motor Show next week of the Volvo S60 L Plug-in, a petrol hybrid version of the long wheelbase S60.

At first glance the S60 Plug-in looks just like its regular ICE sibling, but under the skin sits a 2.0 litre Drive-E petrol engine with 238bhp and 258lb/ft of torque – which drives the front wheels – and a 68bhp electric motor with 147lb/ft of torque that can drive the rear wheels, which can be recharged in 4.5 hours.

In ideal conditions, the S60 L plug-in can manage up to 50 miles in pure EV mode and return official consumption of 141mpg when run in ‘Hybrid’ mode, which uses a combination of the petrol engine and electric motor.

Switch the S60 in to ‘Power’ mode and the S60’s drivetrain throws both power sources at the task in hand and can get to 62mph in a brisk 5.5 seconds, and able to put its power down well thanks to drive going to all four wheels.

The Volvo S60 L Plug-in will debut as a concept at the Beijing Motor Show next week before a production model arrives in 2015 for China.

Another case of a ‘cake and eat it’ car.