New labels for Volvo XC60 suggest EV versions
Volvo has trademarked the XC60 B4 AWD and XC60 B5 AWD names, suggesting they are planning to issue two all-electric variants of the XC60 and an all-wheel drive. For the XC40, Volvo recently confirmed an EV version.
The new XC60 trademarks all point to electric cars as they stand in line with Volvo’s current naming structure. This sees diesel vehicles badged as D4, D5 or D6 for example, while those with petrol powertrains start with a T, as the plug-in hybrid T8.
There are currently no cars in the Volvo range bearing a ‘B’ but it is not hard to see this mark for Battery-electric vehicle, or BEV in short. Swedespeed does point out though that Volvo has used engines featuring the letter B in its past when it stood for “Bensin” and designated the company’s petrol-powered vehicles. In 2010, Volvo switched from using B to using said T for these powertrains.
Moreover, Volvo already confirmed a line of all-electric models, beginning with the XC40. The XC40 EV will cost about 50,000 dollars (43,000 euros) when it launches in 2020, according to Volvo CEO Håkan Samuelsson. He also affirmed Volvo’s intention to electrify its entire model range. Expect the PHEV version of the XC40 later this year.
The XC60 has been conceived as a plug-in hybrid SUV from the start. It seems likely that this could grow into an all-electric vehicle in future. It could share technology with the Polestar label for example, that just confirmed the positioning of their Polestar 2 electric car (we reported). The Polestar 2 will have a base price of 40,000 euros – competitive to say the least, given it is all-electric. Moreover, the engineers in Sweden and China aim for a range of 500 kilometres, about as much as the long-range version of Tesla’s Model 3.
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