S60 the first Volvo made in the USA

MOTORING NEWS - Volvo Cars recently revealed the new S60 mid-size premium sports sedan at the company's first US manufacturing plant in Charleston, South Carolina. The combined car launch and factory opening reinforces Volvo Cars' commitment to the US, an important market for the company. The new S60 is the first Volvo built in the US.

"The new S60 is one of the most exciting cars we've ever made," said Håkan Samuelsson, president and chief executive of Volvo Cars. "It is a true driver's car that gives us a strong position in the US and China sedan markets, creating more growth opportunities for Volvo Cars."

The new S60 is the first Volvo to be sold without a diesel offer, signalling the company's industry-leading commitment to electrification and a long-term future beyond the traditional combustion engine. In 2017, Volvo Cars was the first global car maker to announce its strategy that from 2019 all new models will be electric.

In South Africa, the S60 will be available with two turbo-charged petrol engines (T4 and T5), as well as a super-and-turbo-charged petrol derivative (T6). The new S60 will be introduced locally next year, but final dates and specification are not yet available. The T6 and T8 twin engines are under consideration for SA.

The new S60 shares Volvo Cars' own scalable product architecture (SPA) platform, safety technology and infotainment system with the new V60 premium mid-size estate, launched earlier this year, as well as the flagship 90 Series cars and award-winning XC60, all of which have achieved industry-leading safety ratings. This makes the new S60 one of the safest cars on the road.

New Volvo S60 Inscription.

City safety with auto brake technology assists the driver in avoiding potential collisions and is the only system on the market to recognise pedestrians, cyclists and large animals. In a world first for the mid-size sedan segment, city safety now also engages auto braking to mitigate oncoming collisions.

The optional pilot assist system supports the driver with steering, acceleration and braking on well-marked roads up to 130km. The S60 also includes run-off road mitigation, oncoming lane mitigation and other steering assistance systems.

New Volvo S60 R-design.

Volvo Cars' infotainment system is fully compatible with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and 4G and keeps drivers connected. The intuitive control is a tablet-style touchscreen interface that combines car functions, navigation, connected services and in-car entertainment apps.

Electric versions of the new S60 also offer a performance handling upgrade called Polestar Engineered, developed by Volvo Cars' electric performance arm, Polestar.

Polestar Engineered is available exclusively on the T8 Twin Engine plug-in hybrid and is a complete offer that upgrades the car's wheels, brakes, suspension and engine control unit, boosting the S60 T8's combined output to 305kW. This model is also under consideration for South Africa.

New Volvo S60 Inscription.