Photo: Guido ten Brinks/SB-Medien
As of 2010, Volvo phased out the letter B for T in its naming convention to designate cars that run on gasoline. For diesel, the automaker uses D, followed by a number that indicates the output of the engine. But now, it appears the B is coming back.
Citing two trademarks filed with the European Union Intellectual Property Office, our friends at Swedespeed found out that Volvo is working on the XC60 B4 AWD and XC60 B5 AWD. We know that XC60 stands for the automaker’s compact luxury crossover SUV, and AWD comes from the systems that Volvo buys from components manufacturer GKN Driveline for all-wheel- and eAWD vehicles.
What’s up with the B, you might wonder? The B, ladies and gentlemen, comes from battery. The fact that Volvo trademarked B4 and B5 with the EUIPO confirms what we found out from a previous report, and that is the availability of at least two battery options for every electric vehicle in the lineup.
What comes as a surprise, however, is that the XC60 will level up from the plug-in hybrid T8 Twin Engine to the B4 and B5. We knew for a long time now that Volvo is working on the XC40 EV and Polestar on the 2 sedan and 3 sport utility vehicle, but the XC60 went under the radar all of this time.
There’s also an electric XC90 in the pipeline, though we’ll have to wait until the SPA II platform comes along for the next generation of the mid-size SUV. The Polestar 3, meanwhile, is described as “low and aerodynamic” by its maker.
Last, but certainly not least, the next-generation V40 will go electric as well, built upon the Common Module Platform (CMA) of the XC40 and Polestar 2. On that note, the electric push spells the end for diesel technology at Volvo. The S60 is the first Volvo to make do without Satan’s Fuel, and that’s how the cookie crumbles from here on in for the Swedish automaker.
What’s up with the B, you might wonder? The B, ladies and gentlemen, comes from battery. The fact that Volvo trademarked B4 and B5 with the EUIPO confirms what we found out from a previous report, and that is the availability of at least two battery options for every electric vehicle in the lineup.
What comes as a surprise, however, is that the XC60 will level up from the plug-in hybrid T8 Twin Engine to the B4 and B5. We knew for a long time now that Volvo is working on the XC40 EV and Polestar on the 2 sedan and 3 sport utility vehicle, but the XC60 went under the radar all of this time.
There’s also an electric XC90 in the pipeline, though we’ll have to wait until the SPA II platform comes along for the next generation of the mid-size SUV. The Polestar 3, meanwhile, is described as “low and aerodynamic” by its maker.
Last, but certainly not least, the next-generation V40 will go electric as well, built upon the Common Module Platform (CMA) of the XC40 and Polestar 2. On that note, the electric push spells the end for diesel technology at Volvo. The S60 is the first Volvo to make do without Satan’s Fuel, and that’s how the cookie crumbles from here on in for the Swedish automaker.
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