Volvo has confirmed that the company will be downsizing its engines over the coming years with the production of three-cylinder engines with a petrol variant expected to arrive as early as 2016.
Volvo’s global powertrain boss, Derek Crabb, confirmed the information but did not mention how many variants would be built but was clear that the line-up wouldn’t be as comprehensive as that of the 2.0-litre engines, of which there will be four variants of each plus powered-up Polestar versions.
He said the 1.5-litre turbocharged engines will be introduced for the S60 and V60 family as well as in the mid-size SUVs. The three-cylinder engines could also become a key part of future hybrid drivetrains and are expected to become mainstream in the early years of the next decade.
“I see it being possible in S60 but not higher. It’s not planned for the higher XC cars at the moment. It’s not the power. It’s more to do with the torque,” Derek told Autocar.
Crabb revealed that the three-cylinder engines will play a key role in the electrification of the Volvo powertrain line-up as it pushes to hit a 75g/km CO2 corporate average emissions target by the mid-2020s.
With the production of three-cylinder engines, the Crabb predicts that Volvo can avoid the need for mass-electrification of its vehicles for another decade. “Hopefully, by 2025, electrification will be more commercially sensible and then you will have higher-power electrics, but you’ll need three-cylinder engines. So introducing a three-cylinder engine is creating building blocks through to 2025.”
Source: Autocar
