As we reported back in February, Volvo is to do away with its existing line-up of four-, five-, six- and eight-cylinder engines in favour of a new range of four-cylinder units. The new engines, labelled Volvo Engine Architecture (VEA) in their development phase and now called DRIVE-E, will be launched in the autumn, first appearing in the S60, V60 and XC60 models.
All engines, whether petrol or diesel, will be 2.0-litre four-cylinder powerplants with varying levels of turbocharging and, in some instances, mated to front- or rear-mounted hybrid systems for front- or all-wheel drive applications. The aim is to offer the power and performance of Volvo's traditional six-cylinder and V8 engines with the running costs of a four-pot.
The first engine to arrive will be a 181hp D4 diesel that will be equipped with Volvo's new i-Art injection technology. By fitting each injector with a computer the i-Art system can more efficiently control fuel delivery than a centrally controlled system; or so Volvo says - it also claims that economy, performance and sound will improve due to the system. Other versions of the diesel engine will offer between 120- and 230hp.
Anything else?
On the petrol front the offerings will range from 120-to over 300hp with higher powered cars featuring both super- and turbochargers. The first petrol units we are likely to see are the 305hp T6 and a T5-badged engine offering 235hp.