The Volvo V60 will make its entry into the world's car market with its sights firmly set on shaking up the premium sports wagon segment with its combination of style, performance and, of course, groundbreaking safety.

"The typical sports wagon customer is an S60 buyer who would like some extra space and flexibility, but without the slightest compromise on sporty design and exciting driving properties," says Volvo Cars President and CEO Stephen Odell, and adds:

"The competition is razor-sharp and the customers in this segment know exactly what they want. That is why we have further boosted the interior's sense of exclusive quality and packed the car with safety- and comfort-related technical innovations. The result is a truly unique sports wagon, in total harmony with its sporty attitude."

Coupe rather than estate car
The pronounced wedge shape and the slim coupe-like roof line of the new V60 are accompanied by the shoulder profile along the car's sides, creating a gentle yet powerful double wave from the headlamps at the front to the tail lamps at the rear.

"From the design viewpoint the focus was on making the car as close to a coupe as possible, while retaining that handy extra space at the rear. Our sports wagon does not aim to compete with the traditional estate car. For the customer who wants a lot of load space, there is our V70 or XC70," says Örjan Sterner, head of exterior design for the new Volvo V60.

"The dip in the middle of the double wave visually pushes the car down. This enhances the stance and makes the car look sleeker and lower. The sculpted bonnet and the short overhangs front and rear also emphasise the sports car feel," he added.

Uncompromising chassis approach
Volvo Cars' chassis experts have chiselled out the driving experience in the new Volvo V60 with the same passion and uncompromising approach that characterised the development of the all-new S60 sedan.

The result is an authentic sports wagon with driving properties that do the sporty lines full justice.

"We've pushed the envelope to limits we've never previously approached. You simply have to drive this car to appreciate how we've driven chassis development to its pinnacle. Take the car out on a narrow, winding country road where every bend brings a new challenge and the new V60 will demonstrate its agility with sparkling enthusiasm," says Stefan Sällqvist, who headed the development of the chassis in the new V60.

Every single detail refined
"The spotlight was on giving the concept of comfort a whole new dimension. The dynamic chassis has an alert, quick-responding character that puts the focus on the driving experience, yet without diluting ride comfort," explains Stefan Sällqvist.

In addition to the two standard chassis, all variants of the V60 can be specified with the optional FOUR-C (Continuously Controlled Chassis Concept) active chassis, which has been modified and refined for better control and comfort compared with previous Volvos.

The software in the All Wheel Drive (AWD) system has been modified to allow the four-wheel drive variants of the new V60 to exploit the sporty new chassis to the limit.

During the development process, the chassis team worked on the new Volvo V60 in parallel with the all-new Volvo S60. The result is a solution that features changes and refinements to virtually every single detail that influences a car's driving properties. This includes improved steering, stiffer springs and bushes as well as more damping than in any previous Volvo.

Exclusive quality - with extra functionality
The interior of the V60 sports wagon is a clear example of how Volvo Cars' designers have added excitement, contrast and a playful element to the traditional Scandinavian design cues of rational simplicity and functionality.

"The interior has a decidedly extrovert attitude, but without losing any of its practical Scandinavian roots. The new V60 brings us up to a whole new level when it comes to the integral experience of colour, form, material and technology," says Volvo Cars' Design Director Peter Horbury.

The interior is thus lavish in terms of its driver-oriented details, but it is still a five-seater car offering comfortable space for all its occupants. Scandinavian functionality is prominent in the new V60:

• The only 40/20/40-split rear seat in the segment combined with fold-flat front passenger seat make it possible to combine passengers and load in a remarkably flexible way.
• Each backrest in the three-piece rear seat is folded with exceptional ease to create an entirely flat load floor. The rear seat headrests can be folded electrically.
• The load area has been designed for maximum utilisation of each available millimetre. The 1095 millimetre wide tailgate in combination with extra space behind the wheel housings and under the load floor is an example of the systematic approach adopted to ensure generous load capacity.
• The rear seat features integrated child booster cushions in the two outer seats.

The most high-tech Volvo ever - with Pedestrian Detection
Like the all-new Volvo S60, the sporty interior of the new V60 will offer the most advanced high-tech environment ever available to a Volvo driver.

"The interior of the new V60 is all about innovative design in two areas: form and technology. The design is characterised by sporty freshness down to the smallest detail. The technological aspect includes all those smart solutions that contribute to a driving experience unlike that of any other Volvo - from collision avoidance safety and comfort systems to infotainment and audio excellence of absolute world class," says Tomas Ahlborg, Project Director for the new V60.

Pedestrian Detection with full auto brake can detect if a pedestrian steps out into the road in front of the car. If the driver does not respond in time, the car can automatically activate the brakes.

"Volvo has always led the way when it comes to protecting the occupants in our cars. In recent years we have adopted groundbreaking initiatives that help the driver avoid collisions with other vehicles. Now we are taking a giant stride forward with technology that can contribute to increased safety for unprotected road users as well," says Thomas Broberg, Senior Safety Advisor at Volvo Cars.

Can avoid collisions at speeds below 35 km/h
In an emergency situation the driver first receives an audible warning combined with a flashing light in the windscreen's head-up display. In order to prompt an immediate, intuitive reaction this warning resembles a brake light. At the same time, the car's brakes are pre-charged. If the driver does not react to the warning and an accident is imminent, full braking power is automatically applied.

Pedestrian Detection with full auto brake can avoid a collision with a pedestrian at speeds up to 35 km/h if the driver does not react in time. At higher speeds, the focus is on reducing the car's speed as much as possible prior to impact. Speed can be reduced by up to 25 km/h.

Statistics reveal that the car's speed has considerable importance for the outcome of the accident. A lower speed of impact means that the risk of serious injury is significantly reduced.

City Safety standard
Following in the footsteps of the Volvo XC60 and S60, the new Volvo V60 will also feature City Safety as standard.

With City Safety, the car automatically brakes if the driver fails to react in time when the vehicle in front slows down or stops - or if he or she is driving too fast towards a stationary object. The system can lessen or even entirely avoid low-speed rear-end impacts at speeds up to 30 km/h.

More powerful T6 powerplant
The T6 petrol engine has a displacement of 3.0 litres and has been improved still further, primarily thanks to lower internal friction. It now pumps out 224kW and no less than 440 Nm of torque. Acceleration from 0-100 km/h takes 6.6 seconds and top speed is limited to 250 km/h.

At the same time, Volvo Cars' engine specialists have succeeded in cutting fuel consumption by about 10 percent to 10.2 l/100 km (EU Combined).

The engine's power is delivered to the wheels via Volvo's second-generation six-speed automatic Geartronic transmission. New valves and lower friction mean faster gearchanges than before. All Wheel Drive is standard on the T6.

Two five-cylinder turbodiesels
The engine range also includes two five-cylinder turbodiesels.

The D5 high-performance engine with twin turbos produces 151 kW and 420 Nm of torque. Acceleration from 0-100 km/h takes 7.9 seconds (manual and automatic). Top speed is limited to 230 km/h.

In the most recent D5 version, which was introduced in spring 2009, performance and driveability requirements have been met by fitting two turbochargers of different sizes, one taking over from the other and providing added power across a broader rev range.

The complementary properties of the two turbos are utilised optimally for a combination of high performance and low fuel consumption of 5.4 l/100 km (EU Combined) putting this engine in the running for best in class.

In addition there is the newly developed 2.0-litre diesel producing 121kW and 400 Nm of torque. Acceleration from 0-100 km/h takes 9.4 seconds (manual and automatic). Top speed is 220 km/h (manual) and 215 km/h (automatic).

The new five-cylinder 2.0D is in principle the same engine as the present 2.4D, but cylinder capacity has been reduced with a shorter stroke to optimise fuel consumption.

Entirely new Infotainment system
The V60, like the all-new S60, benefits from a new, state-of-the-art Infotainment system where information is presented on a five-inch or seven-inch colour screen in the instrument panel. The screen has a high position to make it easy for the driver to keep his or her eyes on the road.

"Our most advanced system, Premium Sound, has a class-D digital 5x130W amplifier with circuits from Sweden's Anaview, Dolby Digital in combination with Dolby Pro Logic II Surround, the award-winning MultEQ from Audyssey Laboratories and 12 loudspeakers. All this creates an audio experience of absolute world class," says Tomas Ahlborg.

The Volvo S60 and V60 are two of the first car models in the world to use the Audyssey Laboratories MultEQ technology. MultEQ eliminates the distortion caused by the car cabin's acoustics, providing crisp, clear sound with improved soundstage for everyone in the car.

In addition to the top-of-the line Premium Sound, which comes with a 7-inch screen, there are another three audio systems.

Born and bred in Sweden
The new V60 is built at the Volvo Cars production plant in Torslanda, Sweden with an initial annual target of 50,000 units. Europe is expected to make up 90 per cent of sales.

Note to Editors
The Volvo V60 will make its debut at Paris motor show in September and will be on sale in Australia in the first quarter of 2011. Final pricing and specification will be announced closed to the launch date.

Contact for more information: