The vehicle is practically a hybrid car, an all electric car, and a high performance vehicle rolled into one. The XC60 plug-in hybrid is also the first vehicle which can be plugged in into a wall outlet without needing any converter, making it really viable for home use or if the owners are on the move.

The PHEV of Volvo in the US might be marketed as an XC60 in the US or an S60 according to the topman of the company Stefan Jacoby. He also hinted that the XC60 represents the future Volvo’s we will see on the road.

The XC60 can go for 35 miles on pure electric power alone while its charging time is around 3.5 hours if you plug it into a 220 volt outlet or double that time if you use a 110V outlet which is more common. Volvo foresees the fuel economy on US roads to hit around 105 mpg and around 50 mpg when its battery runs out. The vehicle can go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in just 5.8 seconds going to its top speed of 130 mph. The automatic transmission by the way has eight gears.

The gasoline depended portion of the drive train makes use of a 2.0L 4-cylinder engien with direct injection, turbocharger, and a stop-start technology. The gas engine outputs around 280 horsepower and transfers its power to the front wheels. The car has a 70 horsepower electric motor to move the wheels at the back. The PHEV makes use of a lithium ion battery pack with 12-kWh and it only uses around 66% of it when it runs.

The driver can easily switch from one mode to another to go Pure, Power, or Hybrid. We might be able to see this Volvo on the round by 2014 or 2015 and it could well be worth the wait.

Volvo seeks new technologies in order to further improve the safety of their vehicles but also gain some edge with competitors like BMW.

This warning and emergency brake system will be used in Volvo cars like the sport utility vehicle XC90 in a few ears time after completing a study of deer and moose movements in the southern parts of Sweden.

BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi lead the pack as they supply 300 times more cars and aim for sales records this year compared to Volvo. The top luxury brands are also hard at work to make their vehicles a lot safer.

Volvo, now owned by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group of China, is the first car manufacturer to introduce automatic braking for pedestrians back in 2010. The brand needs to stay ahead of these automotive safety innovations to keep their prices in the premium level.

Volvo aims to hit 800,000 vehicle sales by 2020 and eliminating fatal accidents across its lineup in the same year.

The brand is the leader in active-safety which involves making use of radars and cameras to improve safety. Premium brands like Mercedes and BMW has been experimenting on technologies like this a decade ago as safety enhancements using them now flows to mass market brand.

The thing that makes a Volvo a safe car is that it is designed that way. The company has long been at the forefront when it comes to making sure that their cars are safe. As a result they are constantly developing new safety features that are added to their car. Many of the features that are now common on all cars first appeared on a Volvo and this is something that has been true for decades. Even today they are putting a great deal of effort into designing the safest cars that they can.

A big part of the safety of a Volvo is that it is so solidly built. There are few cars on the road that are as strong as a Volvo. That being said in recent years most of the effort has gone into features that are designed to avoid accidents. This can range from anti lock brakes to traction control to collision avoidance systems. Clearly the best way to avoid injuries in an accident is to not have the accident and this is something that Volvo has worked very hard to make sure that it doesn’t happen.

One of the side benefits of building such safe cars is that they are quite affordable to insure. The biggest factor in the cost of car insurance is the likelihood that a particular vehicle will be involved in accident. Actuaries compile all kinds of data on how many accidents each type of car is involved in and how much damage is done when one does occur. Over the years Volvo’s have pretty consistently been considered to be amongst the least likely to be involved in an accident and this is reflected in the insurance rates that are charged to drivers of them.

One of the other reasons that Volvo’s car cheap to insure is because they have a reputation for being safe cars. They tend to attract drivers who are concerned about safety which tends to make them safer drivers. This helps to result in lower insurance. It is a bit of a chicken and an egg thing since you can argue that Volvo’s are safer since they attract safe drivers. Regardless the fact that you have chosen a Volvo is taken as a sign that you are a safe driver by the insurance company and it results in your having to pay a lower rate.

The V60 wagon goes as a companion of its sibling V60 sedan and shares much of its features but adds some styling and function fit for families inclined to get the unit.

Volvo will offer the T series which runs on gasoline and the D series that depends on diesel.

The top of the line T6 all wheel drive will make use of a 6-cylinder 3.0L powerplant that gives out 304 horsepower and a torque of about 325 pound feet. This variant can go from 0 to 60 mph in just 6.6 seconds. Its top speed is pegged at 155 mph.

The D5 carries the flag for the diesel variants and makes use of a 205 hp 2.4L 5-cylinder engine with 310 pound-feet of torque. The D5 can blast from 0 to 60 mph in a matter of 7.9 seconds. Top speed is recorded at 143 mph.

The new Volvo will also have T5, T4, T3, and D3 variants. The V60 will also be sold with a 1.6 D DRIVe that makes use of a less aggressive 1.6L engine that produces 115 hp.

European consumers can enjoy the tough dynamic chassis of the wagon with options for some styling packs and safety hardware.

Here’s a feature clip about the 2011 Volvo V60.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Volvo plus most of its intellectual properties were assessed to be at $1.8 billion. Ford will be paid $200 million in the form of a note and the rest of the deal will come in as cash. Ford is still expected to collaborate with Volvo in some areas of the operation to ensure that there will be a smooth transition. The carmaker will also still supply vehicle components, stampings, and powertrains for Volvo as agreed. Volvo will also still have access to the information technology of Ford and its engineering support.

Portions of the intellectual properties which were co-developed with its former parent company can be used by third parties like Geely under sublicenses. Most likely the new owner will make use of the safety technology, forced induction for the engine, and dual clutch system.

How Geely will affect the future lineup of Volvo is still uncertain. For now the brand has just revealed its 2010 XC60 and the facelifted C70 convertible. The new S60 sedan is set to be rolled out before the end of 2010.

Under the helm of the Chinese company, insiders hinted that Volvo will be launching more luxurious and bigger units in the next few years while aiming to hit a million units in sales in the next five years. The current figures show that Volvo manages to sell around 400,000 cars annually across the globe.

It might be a very ambitious goal but we should not discount that Volvo will have access to the Chinese market through Geely which can translate to 200,000 more units sold in its first year of takeover.

Geely might also move some production of Volvo in its factory in Guangdong Province.

The company being sold by Ford Motor promises that the new S60 will be more dynamic and sportier than the older members of the fleet. The production version of the S60 is very similar to the concept car that was unveiled during the Detroit Auto Show last January. The car keeps the stylish lines and aggressive stance of the concept car.

The S60 retains the attractive headlights and fascia of the show car. The new Volvo vehicle will go into production in their factory in Gent, Belgium by summer of 2010. It is expected to wow everyone at the Geneva Auto Show this coming March.

The new sporty member in the Volvo garage was specifically designed to meet head on the luxury sedans in the market like the 3 Series of BMW.

The Swedish automaker is very confident with the sporty features and stylish silhouette of the S60 and they believe it will be able to compete and dominate its segment.

Ford Motor placed the Volvo brand up for sale in the market last year and has recently announced that they prefer the bidder Geely Holding Group from China.

A week ago, Volvo filed a report which details their 3Q operating losses amounting to about $135 million. This is more decent compared to the $458 million back in 2008. Volvo attributes the improvement to better exchange rates, cost reduction, and higher volume of production.

Completion of three concept vehicles is expected this fall. These prototypes will be used by the companies to gain more knowledge of how consumers will need plug-in units in the future. They will look into how people want their cars to feel in terms of performance and functionality. Another important item to address is how people want to charge their rides.

The tie-up formed a six-man team which converted a standard combustion engine vehicle into a hybrid plug-in. The team installed an electric motor and batteries, and tweaked on the car’s configuration to make everything work together.

The collaboration proved to be very cost effective since there are experts from all the fields needed to come up with a viable concept car. The members of the team contributed their own inputs for project management, electronics, engineering, and powertrain.

The technological development trails a smoother path with the close cooperation of all parties involved in the project. The Volvo concept hybrid plug-in vehicles will reflect a combo of technologies being explored by different companies to develop Diesel-Electric hybrid vehicles and EVs.

Semcon is an engineering firm with offices in 40 different locations. They have an employee base of around 2800 engineers in different fields of expertise. The company declared sales of approximately SEK 3.3 billion last year.

More on the various types of green cars at the Green Car Site!

The talks are expected to be done by this week before the elections in the region. If the loan will push through, experts are assuming restrictions on where the cash can be used. The loan guarantee is aimed at helping specifically the plant in Flanders.

The primary concern of the Flemish government is to preserve the employment of the workers. The business plan presented by Volvo will be studied under this light plus the possibilities of Volvo being acquired by other parties. The Premier will only agree to the loan if he can get long term commitments from Volvo and understand its long term plans.

Volvo sees the negotiations with the Swedish government turning bleak after Ford reviewed the position of Volvo and sees its future as uncertain. Recently, the car maker was able to avail of a $275 million loan from the European Investment Bank but it still needs more help to stay afloat.

There are reports that there are five companies which expressed their interest to buy Volvo and a decision as to whom the company will go can be reached as early as July. Some speculate that Chinese car makers can benefit with the research and development, and safety technology that Volvo has in place.

Ford acquired Volvo in 1999 for $6.45 billion but the value of the company now is registered at $2.4 billion.

According the Shenzhen News in China, unnamed yet reliable sources inside the Chinese government have leaked that Geely has written and signed the purchase letter for Volvo. Geely and Ford are still going over the final details of the purchase, emphasizing on the turnover of the technology, the brand’s existing marketing strategies and positioning, layoffs, and Geely’s plan to kick off Volvo’s production in a brand new factory in Guangdong Province.

According to the ongoing deal, the first Chinese Volvo’s full design will be designed solely by Geely—the new-generation XC90to come out in 2011. Moreover, Geely will invest almost $10 billion to help build and strength the brand.

Having Volvo on its belt will greatly benefit the Chinese automaker, particularly the Swedish carmaker’s technological research. During the past few years, Chinese cars have had a bad reputation for safely. With Volvo’s existing good reputation when it comes to safety, Geely will get a great advantage.

In 1999, American automaker Ford Motor Company paid $6.45 billion to acquire Volvo. However, the brand’s price tag has sunk to $2.4 billion. With the shaky state of the automobile industry and the faltering economy, the final price for Volvo might be lower than $2.4 billion.

Vattenfall will be helping Volvo in the production of their first plug in vehicle and their line of electric vehicles in the future. The agreement between the two companies to develop the needed technology have been forged since 2007.

Saab has also joined forces with Volvo and Vattenfall to help in the endeavor. Saab has developed a concept 9-X BioHybrid.

Volvo has on the drawing boards the concept car based on the hatchback C30 for their plug-in hybrid car technology. By mid-2009. Volvo will run a test of their V70 plug in cars cruising on the roads of Europe.

The demo vehicles is aimed at giving Volvo and its partners the feedback that they need from the first hand experience of the people behind the wheels. They want to hear about the comments of consumers with regard to the new car technology so they can adapt to possible driving habits and apply the necessary innovations.

Vattenfall will explore the different means of charging the vehicle at home or through network of public charging stations.

The test cars may be a bit different from the series cars due for release in 2012 but they will paved the way for the development of hybrid plug-ins that is demanded by the market.

Another important thing to put the spotlight on is the effort of Volvo to combine the power of diesel and electricity in their hybrid cars instead of using petrol. The use of diesel may give the cars better efficiency than rivals coming from Toyota or Chevrolet.