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]
Consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulations. 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, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, he has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed about the automotive sector by national broadcasts, participated in a few amateur rallying events, and driven more rental cars than anyone ever should. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and learned to drive by twelve. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer and motorcycles.
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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.