S60 Concept: charisma with promising high-tech
Prove again the complete difference of Volvo's luxury (4/4)

Gasoline turbocharged engine - The engine of the concept is a four-cylinder 1.6-litre petrol unit using gasoline turbocharged direct injection technology (GTDi) and producing 180 horsepower.

Compared to a conventional port-injected petrol engine, where fuel is injected into the inlet manifold, ahead of the inlet valves (before being sucked into the combustion chambers), direct injection sprays the fuel under high pressure, directly and very accurately (in timing and quantity terms) into the combustion chamber, providing better gas flow with optimised air/fuel mixture and greater resistance to uncontrolled combustion. The result is higher power and lower fuel consumption.

Combined with turbo charging, GTDi technology makes it possible to reduce engine displacement with maintained performance, but with about 20 percent lower fuel consumption and CO² emissions.

With a range of other technical measures, the 1.6-litre GTDi engine can cut carbon dioxide emissions to 119 g/km, and average consumption to 5.0 litres per 100 km.

Before launching the new S60 in 2010, Volvo Cars' first production car with GTDi technology will be introduced during the second half of this year. The Gasoline Turbocharged Direct Injection technology is developed with Ford Motor Company, Volvo's parent company since 1999. It is known as the EcoBoost system in the Ford, Lincoln and Mercury brands.

Other technical measures to cut fuel consumption and emissions in the Volvo S60 Concept include:

- Stratified combustion: the combustion chamber is designed such that a mist consisting of the optimal blend of air and fuel is formed around the spark plug, surrounded by air. The engine operates with a surplus of air, thus cutting fuel consumption,

- Start/stop functionality that switches off the engine when the car is at a standstill, and starts it automatically when the drivers wants to move forward,

- Powershift gearbox (known in the Volvo C30 and the new Ford Focus), consisting practically of two manual gearboxes working in parallel, each regulated by its own clutch (also known as dual-clutch gearbox - see technical drawing below),

- Electric power assisted steering (EPAS) with an electric motor instead of the conventional hydraulic pump,

- "DRIVe-Mode", enabling the driver to reduce fuel consumption with an "economy mode" that limits the function of a number of selected electrical or mechanical systems,

- Aerodynamic measures including a grille shutter (wind-deflecting panel) that can be closed to reduce air drag when there is less need for cooling air, combined with flat underbody panels and the use of lightweight materials in the car body.