Volvo Doesn't Want You to Forget About the S60 Reveal on Wednesday
Volvo doesn’t want anyone to forget it’s revealing its first U.S.-built model on Wednesday, so it furnished us with a few more teasers to whet the collective appetite. It isn’t the car’s looks that have us excited, however — we already know the S60 will resembled a scaled-down S90 in both form and function.
What has our shorts in a pleasant knot is the fact that Volvo hasn’t replaced the model with another crossover. The new model replaces the second-generation sedan launched in 2010 (and sold in ever-decreasing numbers since 2012) and the automaker seems intent on offering everything customers have come to expect, and then some. There’s even a Polestar Engineered edition of the T8 model that offers 415 horsepower and 494 lb-ft of torque, plus enthusiast-oriented tweaks to the braking and suspension.
Frankly, it’s all shaping up rather nicely.
The model will become the first product to emerge from Volvo’s new South Carolina plant later this year. The automaker estimates domestic production of the S60 to average roughly 60,000 units annually.
There shouldn’t be too many surprises. Volvo already has the XC60 on the market and the V60 goes on sale in early 2019. Both of those have garnered quite a bit of praise and, other than a unique grille and mild styling differences, the S60 shouldn’t represent a drastic change in overall form. We’ll know more on Wednesday morning, when the official unveiling goes down in Gothenburg, Sweden.
[Images: Volvo Cars]
A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.
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Yeah my two Volvo 850 experiences scared me away from the brand. I know, I know - 20 years is a long time - but experiences like I had are hard to forget.
Conflicted on this one...on the one hand, loving that folks in my former home-state of South Carolina have the opportunity to find work by assembling them. However, not thrilled at the Chinese ownership. Either way, not within my price range to purchase, so that conundrum isn't one I'll have to face any time soon.