Volvo XC60 concept shown at Detroit

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Volvo 'soft-roader' concept car shown at Detroit
Power from 3.2-litre straight-six petrol engine
Car features anti-shunt accident system

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Volvo will have three 4x4s by early 2009 when the XC60, previewed in concept form at the Detroit Auto Show, arrives in the UK.

There will be the XC90, a traditional high-level seven-seat four-wheel-drive vehicle; a new estate car-based XC70 due to be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March; and XC60, which combines 4x4 capability with something of the looks of a four-door coupe.

Volvo hopes that by giving XC60 a less-aggressive profile, the car will be immune to some of the criticism being aimed at SUVs by environmental protest groups and politicians.

The car on show in Detroit is powered by a 3.2-litre six-cylinder engine capable of running on petrol or bio-ethanol, although it is not yet certain whether this power unit will come to the UK because of limited availablility of the plant-sourced fuel.

XC60 is the smallest of Volvo's three off-roaders, 200mm shorter than an XC70. It shares much of its out-of-view technology with the new S80 saloon and has the same four-wheel-drive system as Volvo's other 4x4 vehicles.

The interior of the show car is a grossly exaggerated version of what customers will be able to buy, but the exterior is close to the real thing.

Among its technical novelties is a feature called City Safety, intended to reduce the risk of nose-to-tail accidents in traffic. At speeds below 30kph (19mph) it automatically primes the brakes for a sudden stop if there is the risk of an accident, and even introduces some automatic braking if the driver still fails to take action.