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Given the popularity of oil burners in Europe and their superior fuel economy, it’s surprising that manufacturers have taken so long to develop diesel hybrids.



It looks like it could become a popular powertrain combination, though. Land Rover has already announced that it’ll be presenting the Range_e prototype at the upcoming Geneva International Motor Show, and now Volvo has revealed the V60 Plug-in Hybrid.

Driving the V60’s front wheels is a 2.4 litre five-cylinder turbodiesel engine, producing 212 bhp (158 kW / 215 PS) and 440 Nm (324 lb/ft) of torque. The rears, meanwhile, are separately powered by a 69 bhp (51 kW / 70 PS) electric motor which gets its energy from a 12 kWh lithium-ion battery pack. The only transmission available will be a six-speed automatic.



Developed in conjunction with Swedish energy firm Vattenfall, the V60 Plug-in Hybrid will also be premiered at Geneva, ahead of a market launch that’s scheduled for sometime during 2012.





The headline numbers are an impressive 148.6 mpg (1.9 l/100km) for the combined cycle and CO2 emissions of 49 g/km. Those are achieved when the car is being driven in default ‘Hybrid’ mode, where the engine and motor work together to balance performance against economy.



Switch into ‘Pure’ mode though, and the V60 runs using just the electric motor. Battery range is a fairly respectable 31 miles (50 kilometres), a distance that Volvo points out will cover most daily journeys.





However, for times when environmental considerations take a temporary back seat, ‘Power’ mode can be selected. Harnessing the combined 281 bhp (209 kW / 285 PS) and 640 Nm (472 lb/ft) of torque on offer, the V60 will sprint from zero to 62 mph (100 km/h) in only 6.9 seconds. Undoubtedly both fuel consumption and emissions are going to suffer badly in this configuration, but figures have yet to be published that would quantify the effect.



Recharging when the V60 is plugged into a domestic power socket can take as little as 3 hours with a 230V / 16A supply, although that time is extended to 4.5 hours with 10A or 7.5 hours with 6A currents.





A clever feature is the pre-heating / pre-cooling of the cabin during the recharging process. Operated by a timer that is set via either the dashboard or remotely by mobile phone, it means that once underway minimal battery capacity is used to adjust the interior temperature.



There’s no word on pricing, but Volvo is managing expectations by saying that the cost of the battery pack will make it more expensive than existing V60 models. However, as fuel costs should be reduced by around two thirds compared to those of conventional petrol or diesel cars, the V60 Plug-in Hybrid might still make financial sense.