The new Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid has achieved the highest- ever score for an electrified car in Euro NCAP.
The five stars in the recent test, which included a frontal offset collision at 64 km/h (40 mph), demonstrates that the V60 Plug-in Hybrid has the same high safety level as the standard V60.
“We apply the same high standards to all our products. The Euro NCAP score demonstrates that the ingenious V60 Plug-in Hybrid features the same outstanding safety level as the standard car,” says Jan Ivarsson, Senior Manager Safety Strategy & Requirements at Volvo Car Group.
The integration of the battery pack and the added weight the batteries create required a unique safety approach during the development of the V60 Plug-in Hybrid. The structure has been modified and reinforced to enable a controlled deformation to help provide a high safety level. The battery pack in the V60 Plug-in Hybrid is well encapsulated and located under the load floor.
The Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid has been exposed to an extensive test program during the development phase. This includes full-scale crash tests with different load cases, such as frontal collision, rear and side collisions to verify that also the battery technology fulfils our stringent safety requirements. The V60 Plug-in Hybrid also offers all unique Volvo active safety functions, such as City Safety, Collision Warning with full Auto Brake and Pedestrian Detection.
Production of the new V60 Plug-in Hybrid is ramping up and the first 1,000 ‘Pure Limited’ cars were sold out even before they reached the showrooms. After this initial production of cars for model year 2013, production of the V60 Plug-in Hybrid will increase to 4,000-6,000 cars for model year 2014 – and next year’s build slots are already filling up.
