PARIS — Many auto executives at the 2008 Paris Auto Show subscribe to the philosophy of "I'd like to tell you my future product plans, but then I'd have to kill you." Running completely counter to that notion, Volvo officially spilled the beans on a number of upcoming vehicles here, including a micro-hybrid in 2011, a diesel hybrid in 2012 and a plug-in hybrid after 2012.
In a statement, the Swedish automaker detailed plans for the vehicles, saying that they were part of "an aggressive road map for cutting CO2 emissions." It did not indicate which global markets would get the vehicles.
Volvo said it will introduce an as-yet-unnamed micro-hybrid in 2011 with a sophisticated start-stop function.
"The micro-hybrid offers several benefits compared with other manufacturers' solutions," Volvo said in a statement. "First, it can be used in combination with both a manual and automatic transmission. It also provides the driver with the additional flexibility to restart the engine immediately, even if the car has not yet come to a complete standstill, by simply pressing the accelerator. This situation could occur when approaching and joining a roundabout where power is required instantly to take advantage of a gap in the traffic."
Volvo's 2012 diesel hybrid, which is under development, has front wheels driven by a "further-developed variant of Volvo's five-cylinder D5 turbodiesel, while the rear wheels get a separate electric motor," said the automaker.
Volvo's plug-in hybrid sounds as if it will give the 2011 Chevrolet Volt a run for the money. "The next step is a plug-in hybrid, which is scheduled to come after 2012," said Volvo. "The battery pack in a plug-in hybrid is recharged overnight via a regular household power socket and this gives the car an operating range of about 62 miles on electric power alone." Volvo hinted that this vehicle has roots in the Volvo ReCharge Concept, which is based on the Volvo C30 and was shown at the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show. The ReCharge was developed by Volvo's Monitoring and Concept Center in Camarillo, California, and is said to be aimed at U.S. audiences.
Volvo also said in 2009 it will start introducing "a new generation of four-cylinder turbocharged engines with direct injection, a technology known as GTDi (gas turbo direct injection)." It noted that this technology makes it possible to step down one engine size from five to four cylinders "with unaffected performance, but with 20-30 percent lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions."
What this means to you: Volvo is providing a peek a little further under the covers than usual in an effort to appear relevant in today's harsh economic climate. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
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