What's the news?
Volvo has confirmed it will build a lightweight three-cylinder engine, likely to be of 1.5-litre capacity, to join its Drive-E family of powerplants.
Built on the same production line as the bigger, 2.0-litre Drive-E motors, the new three-pot will meet EU7 emissions targets and will power vehicles as big as the 60-series Volvos (S60, V60 and XC60). It has already entered prototype testing ahead of production.
"We have come a long way in the last few years at Volvo - investments from our parent company, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, have enabled us to recapture our position as a leader in the field of powertrain engineering," said Dr Peter Mertens, senior vice president for Research and Development at Volvo Car Group (VCG).
"We have learned a lot from the development of our four-cylinder Drive-E engines and translated this into a highly responsive, compact and powerful premium quality three-cylinder engine," added Michael Fleiss, vice president for Powertrain at VCG.
Anything else?
Among the details was confirmation of a 180hp version of this three-cylinder Drive-E unit, which is impressive power from a three-cylinder motor.