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Volvo Concept Coming to Frankfurt, to Preview New Engines

Volvo today announced that it will be revealing a new concept vehicle at the upcoming 2011 IAA in Frankfurt. The model will be a study into how the future engine line and platform might look in the near future
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In the past, Volvos were popular because of their powerful five-cylinder and straight-six units, especially on the diesel-powered SUV front, but it looks like all that’s about to change, as the concept previews a future where all Volvos will get four-cylinder units, whether they are running on petrol or diesel.

“It’s time to stop counting cylinders," said Volvo’s Senior Vice President for Research and Development, Peter Martens. “The concept we will reveal at Frankfurt proves that downsized engines can go hand in hand with our customers’ expectations on luxury and driving pleasure.”

Thus, Volvo is making a switch to fewer cylinders, and also plans to add direct injection for its gasoline and common rail for its diesel variants. The Senior VP also hinted that these units could be use in hybrid powerplants of the future.

“We will develop four-cylinder engines with higher performance than today’s six-cylinder units and lower fuel consumption than the current four-cylinder generation,"
said Martens.

Saving money and weight is also part of the plan, as the Volvo Environmental Architecture (VEA) units will reduce the number of unique engine parts by 60 percent while dropping the weight of the lumps under the bonnet by 90 kg (198 pounds).
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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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