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Mike Sinclair13 Jun 2014
NEWS

Flagship plug-in

Volvo Australia eyes PHEV XC90 as image leader
Volvo Australia could use a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) variant of its XC90 flagship as an image leader for the brand.
All but confirmed for local release, the electrified seven-seater has been earmarked as a vehicle via which Volvo Cars Australia can continue its gentrification and build its performance image.
Volvo Australia boss Matt Braid confirmed a PHEV variant of the all-new XC90 was on his wishlist for local release. Indeed, the brand effectively sidestepped the launch of a PHEV version of the V60 medium estate to position the XC90 PHEV as its local spearhead into electrification.
Braid told motoring.com.au the PHEV would not be available at launch but was in planning for 2015.
"We’re just formalising that now from an availability point of view. It won’t be from launch stage, but we’re just trying to see how close after initial launch next year it would be. Ideally, [it will arrive at] some point in 2015.
"We’re looking forward to the technology and it will give us another string to our bow, but it also gives us another way we can present ourselves and maybe [be] different to the next guy.  
Braid says the XC90 PHEV will be positioned at a "premium" over the rest of the range. And also hinted one of the attractions to the car might be its blend of performance and efficiency.
"You’ll definitely see PHEV be a premium. It won’t be priced in line with the other cars, but exactly what that entails from a price point and a gap, and also what equipment and technology it will have versus others, we’re still at the tentative stage," he explained.
The Volvo boss said sales volumes wouldn't necessarily be the meter of success for the PHEV XC.
"We’re not looking at a KPI on them from a sales perspective. It’s very early days for that [plug-in hybrid] segment of the market. 
"As long as we can present a good offering in that segment and then see what the segment does... Or put a line in the sand and say, 'Okay, that’s where we think we should be in the future'...
"Realistically, right now, we just want to have one and we want to be able to present Volvo’s version of it in a way that maybe others aren’t..."
Braid says the potential performance of an XC90 PHEV means there's no disconnect between the brand's presence in V8 Supercar racing and hybrid technology. He suggests PHEV is already a performance technology.
"Who else isn’t going to be doing it [launching PHEVs]," Braid opined.
"And if you look at the current crop of supercars, all of them have the hybrid technology.
"Going forward, people, I think, aren’t necessarily going to look at hybrid technologies purely as being green. It’s going to be how can I maximise efficiency and performance out of a given vehicle platform?” 
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