GreenFleet 116: Volvo Report

Special Report: Volvo Car UK

A look at Volvo’s premium mid‑size estate, the new V60, and insight into the carmaker’s bold electrification strategy

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Volvo V60

A spotlight on the new Volvo V60

Volvo’s second generation V60 is a premium mid-size estate, enhanced with advanced technology and classic Scandi looks.

Initially released with petrol and diesel engines, two plug-in hybrids will shortly join the range, taking Volvo further towards its electrification goals Making its world debut in February 2018 in and have a quoted mpg figure of 64.2.

Stockholm, Sweden, the V60 is powered by In line with Volvo’s bold commitment to the Volvo-designed and built all-aluminium phasing out diesel ICE-powered vehicles Drive-E engines, which enable in favour of full or partially electrified powerful performance models, the V60 will have two with efficiency. plug-in hybrid powertrain options V olvo’s The V60 has initially released in the coming months. scalable been released with

The petrol and diesel SPA pla petrol and diesel V60s are front-wheel drive, allows tform engines – 150hp whereas the hybrids will for futu D3 and 190hp be all-wheel drive. re electrifi D4 diesels, and a

The new V60 is c a c t i onnect 250hp T5 petrol. set to be popular with ivity an on, d Both diesels companies, with forecast techno logies t safety fleet sales at 65 per cent. are available with manual or automatic added o be gearboxes, while Scandi looks the T5 petrol comes The Scandinavians are famous for exclusively as an automatic. their clean, minimalistic, functional CO2 emissions start from and beautiful designs, and Swedish 117g per km for the D3 and D4 manual manufacturer Volvo is no different.

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The new V60 is all those things.

Clean lines and eye-catching details, such as distinctive headlights with T-shaped daytime running lights and indicators, make the V60 the epitome of simplistic, elegant design.

Despite being Volvo’s smaller estate, it has the largest boot of any premium mid-size estate, along with one of the biggest cabins in the class.

Key features include the Sensus nineinch touch screen, voice-activated control system, power-operated tailgate, LED headlights, satellite navigation and the Volvo On Call connected services platform.

Volvo’s SPA platform The V60 uses the Volvo-designed-and-built SPA (Scalable Product Architecture) platform.

This adaptable platform is designed to incorporate electrification, connectivity and safety technologies as they become available.

Drive mode settings The V60’s Drive Mode settings allows the driver to tailor the responses of the engine, automatic gearbox, suspension, steering, brakes and climate control to their preferences.

Comfort is the default setting and all parameters are set for maximum comfort.

The eco setting meanwhile calibrates the engine, automatic gearbox and accelerator to achieve the lowest possible fuel consumption and emissions.

In this mode, the automatic gearbox upshifts at lower revs and a ‘coasting’ function is activated above 40mph. This means there is no engine braking when you lift off

Volvo V60

the accelerator; instead the engine’s revs drop to idle speed, boosting efficiency.

In Dynamic mode, power assistance in the steering is reduced to make the steering heavier and the brake pedal responsiveness is increased.

adaptive cruise control to keep at the desired cruising speed or at a safe distance from any vehicle in front. Pilot Assist will automatically accelerate and brake with the flow of traffic, right down to a standstill, and requires the driver to have their hands on the wheel.

Semi-autonomous drive Taking a stepping stone towards fully autonomous driving, which is a key innovation area for Volvo, the V60 is available with Volvo’s Pilot Assist semi-autonomous drive technology. This combines a forward-facing camera and radar to detect the vehicle’s lane and any vehicles in front. It then assists with the steering (up to 80mph) to keep the car within its lane, and works with the

Safety Volvo has a vision that no one will be killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo car by 2020.

Striding towards this goal, the V60 has a raft of cutting edge safety technology.

City Safety systems are in place to avoid collisions include automatic emergency braking, which can detect vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists and large animals in front of the car. If a collision is likely and

you do not react, it will automatically apply maximum braking force. All versions of the V60 also come with Run-off Road Mitigation and Run-off Road Protection, which help prevent the car inadvertently running off the road and protect the car’s occupants.

Another advanced safety aid is Steering Support, which can provide additional steering input to help you steer around an object in an emergency. This also forms part of Oncoming Lane Mitigation, which operates between 37 and 87mph and helps steer the car safely back onto its side of the road should it inadvertently move from its lane into the path of an oncoming vehicle.

The optional Blind Spot Information System with Steering Support also operates between 37 and 87mph, and automatically applies the steering to bring the car back into its own lane and away from any vehicles in your blind spot.

Pricing First customer deliveries of the new Volvo V60 are due late in Q3 2018 Prices start from £31,810 OTR with BIK from £147 a month.

Residual values are best-in-class according to Cap HPI. D3 Momentum will be worth 43.7 per cent of its new cost after three years and 30,000 miles (38.0 per cent after three years and 60,000 miles). L FURTHER INFORMATION www.volvocars.com The V60’s distinctive tailights add stylish detail

The V60’s stunning interior design has class-leading connectivity features

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TAKE CHARGE

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Interview

Volvo’s clean green goals Volvo Car UK has transformed itself in recent years. The V60 is Volvo’s sixth all-new model launched since 2014, and the carmaker continues to impress with its electric and hybrid vehicle ambitions. GreenFleet catches up with Steve Beattie, Volvo’s head of business sales across the country, reduce emissions from vehicles on the roads, and drive the uptake of zero emission cars, vans and trucks.

What is the Volvo view of the strategy?

“It is difficult to argue against governments and cities aiming for good air quality for their citizens by introducing environmental zones or banning certain vehicles,” comments Steve. “Our own strategy to meet these future requirements is electrification which is why we are about to electrify all new products as from 2019. By 2025 we anticipate half of our global sales to be pure electric cars, which means that our plans are in line with the political intentions.”

Volvo Car’s T8 Twin Engine Range

Steve Beattie, head of business sales, Volvo Car UK

Steve Beattie is head of business sales of Volvo Car UK and is responsible for overseeing all of Volvo’s fleet and corporate sales. Steve has considerable sector experience and heads up the team at Volvo as they grow sales volumes within the business sales market in the UK.

Last year was a record year for Volvo. Global sales were up seven per cent compared with 2016’s figures, to 571,577 cars. Annual operating profit also increased by 27.7 per cent in 2017. The news was similarly strong for Volvo in the UK. Last year, Volvo Car UK recorded its second highest annual sales figure for 25 years, at 46,139 cars. This was only slightly behind 2016’s record breaking figure of 46,696, and was an especially impressive result in an overall market down nearly six per cent. Volvo also increased its UK market share by five per cent in 2017, up from 1.73 per cent in 2016 to 1.83 per cent.

This positive momentum has carried on into 2018. Global first-half sales were up

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14.4 per cent year on year to 317,639 cars.

In July 2017, Volvo announced bold plans that it would place electrification at the core of its future business, stating that every new car it launches from 2019 – regardless of powertrain fuel type – will be electrified.

The new V60 Volvo’s second generation V60 is a premium mid-size estate, enhanced with advanced technology and classic Scandi looks. Initially released with petrol and diesel engines, two plug-in hybrids will shortly join the range, taking Volvo further towards its electrification goals. So how has the new V60 been received?

“Very well indeed, as has been the case for all our new products since the XC90 in 2015,” comments Steve. “It has already beaten other premium competitors in magazine comparison tests, and is recognised by the media at large as a true premium product.”

WLTP compliance The Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP), a new testing procedure to ensure published fuel economy and emissions are more realistic to real-world driving, is causing uncertainity in the fleet sector.

However, Volvo recently announced that its entire model range complies under the procedure. With the uncertainty around WLTP, how important is it for market confidence for a premium brand to be seen doing this?

Steve comments: “Volvo welcomed the new WLTP testing methods when they were first announced, as greater transparency in areas such as fuel consumption and emissions helps customers make better informed buying decisions. We are pleased that we were the first to sell a complete range of cars that meets the new testing standards.”

Road to Zero The government’s Road to Zero strategy sets out plans to expand the charging infrastructure

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EV adoption Barriers to electric vehicle adoption still remain, namely range anxiety and a limited charging infrastructure. However, they can work extremely well in certain fleet operations.

It is complex area, so how is Volvo equipped to assist customers in this area?

Steve comments: “I have grown and structured my business sales team to ensure the right expertise is available no matter what size fleet you have, and it has been recognised through Sewells industry insight that we perform well in the this area versus our premium competition.

“Quality customer consultation is always vital and EV adoption is just one of the areas our experienced and dedicated team can assist with.”

An electric strategy In a bold move, Volvo was the first manufacturer to commit to phasing out purely diesel ICE-powered vehicles, instead offering a choice of mild petrol hybrid, plug-in petrol hybrid or battery electric vehicles by 2019.

Steve comments: “We were the first traditional carmaker to commit to electrification across our entire range, and have set out a bold aim for 50 per cent of our global sales to be pure electric cars by 2025.”

What’s next?

Which areas of opportunity are there for Volvo in the remainder of 2018 and 2019?

Steve comments: “XC40 is already doing a great job for us in the UK and new V60 is an equally exciting prospect. We are already seeing orders coming through and they are starting to appear on fleet policies. With a full year of production for both cars in 2019 we are confident that trend is set to continue and they will form a key part of fleet offerings.” L FURTHER INFORMATION www.volvocars.com