“Plug-in hybrid and mild hybrid is the future for this car” says Volvo XC90 product leader
The firm’s most famous SUV has undergone some changes and has had the diesel variant dropped in favour of mild-hybrid and plug-in versions.
Many car manufacturers are avoiding offering diesel engines in their vehicle lineups, and Volvo is one of the latest to adopt this trend.
Recently, the firm announced that it had removed all the diesel-powered variants from its product portfolio and now focuses on selling its vehicles with mild-hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric powertrains.
The Swedish firm’s oldest SUV, the XC90, has recently received some subtle tweaks to keep it in line with its competition.
The PA news agency spoke with product leader Martin Hamlet about the new XC90. He said: “We think that plug-in hybrid and mild-hybrid is the future for this car. The diesel volumes were slowing down, so it was a natural decision to phase out this engine variant. We had a certain number of customers who still wanted the diesel, but we had to remove it at a time, and that was 2024.”
Volvo recently launched its seven-seat electric EX90 onto the market to give customers an alternative to the older XC90 who wanted to go down the EV route. However, Hamlet is confident that the combustion variant still has a market.
He added: “We have a very stable customer group that request and want to buy an XC90 because of the plug-in hybrid performance and it’s good for these customers who find it not suitable yet to move to a fully electric car. We have a stable customer base on this car right now and we still see a demand for the XC90.”
The updated XC90 is on sale now with prices starting at £63,790 and rises to £75,290 for the flagship plug-in hybrid variant.
