Detroit Preview: Volvo XC60 Concept Gets Ethanol Engine

GOTEBORG, Sweden — Volvo's XC60 concept, which will make its debut at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, will be equipped with a 3.2-liter six-cylinder bioethanol engine and all-wheel drive.

The bioethanol engine will make 265 horsepower and 251 pound-feet of torque. Carbon dioxide emissions will be down 80 percent compared with the same engine if it ran only on gasoline, Volvo says. Three current Volvo models, the C30, S40 and V50, are currently sold in several European countries with optional bioethanol FlexiFuel power plants, but all are four-cylinder engines.

The XC60 Concept's inline-6 is based on a gasoline engine, but "optimized" for E85, a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. Using the E85 blend, Volvo says, fuel economy averages 19.2 mpg.

Volvo Cars' President and CEO, Fredrik Arp, has called the XC60 concept "the C30 owner's next car. Equally sporty and exciting, but far more capable."

The XC60 concept is scheduled for production with an on-sale date in early 2009. No word yet on whether the bioethanol engine will be part of the final production plan for the U.S. market.

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