Volvo increases production of the world’s first diesel plug-in hybrid car, the V60 wagon. Initially they made a 1,000 cars for 2013, but as the public interest in hybrid cars grow, they decided to ramp that up to 4,000-6,000 cars from model year 2014.
That production volume is kind of a big deal for Volvo, as the V60 plug-in hybrid is the first of its kind, with two powertrains, which requires new production method. But they managed to successful integrate it into the same line that produces the V60, V70, XC70, S80 and XC90 models at the Torslanda plant in Gothenburg.
The V60 hybrid requires over 300 additional parts compared to the regular V60 models. That means Volvo had to modify their production process a bit, with the electric motor along with its drive shafts installed on the same line as normal AWD models, cooling system and the high voltage cables assembled on the Pallet which is where they put the chassis together, while the battery pack is lifted in through the car’s tailgate short side forward.
Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid is set to become the most fuel efficient car in its class’ Volvo is talking about 100+ mpg, 49 g/km CO2, and 32 miles of electric range.
