Volvo XC60 Plug-in Petrol Hybrid Heading To Detroit

Volvo has gone mad for hybrid-powered wagons. Less than a month after the European debut of its new V60 Plug-in Hybrid, the carmaker has announced plans to reveal an ultra-green version of its XC60 SUV in Detroit.

Similar in concept to the diesel-focused V60 version, the XC60 Plug-in Hybrid will instead pair its electric motor with a petrol engine.

As with the smaller wagon, the XC60 Plug-in Hybrid will see the front wheels driven by the petrol engine, while the electric motor will motivate the rear axle.

The petrol engine used here is a turbocharged 2.0 litre four-cylinder mill, sending 209kW and 380Nm of torque through an eight-speed automatic transmission.

With the electric motor in play, total output is listed at 261kW. In petrol-electric all-wheel-drive and "Power" mode, Volvo says the XC60 Plug-in Hybrid is good for a 0-100km/h run of 5.8 seconds.

To demonstrate its "V8-like performance," Volvo has cheekily given the XC60 Plug-in Hybrid the "T8" name - one up from the regular petrol T6 variant (224kW, 7.3 seconds).

Fuel consumption in the regular "Hybrid" mode is listed at 2.3 l/100km - handsome figures, considering the most frugal offering in the current line-up is the 6.9/100km diesel-powered XC60 D5.

The electric motor draws its energy from a 11.2kWh lithium-ion battery pack, and in all-electric mode, the SUV offers a driving range of up to 45 kilometres.

Watch for the XC60 to debut at next week's Detroit Auto Show, ahead of a European market debut sometime in the next year.