Volvo has reintroduced the Volvo S60 saloon to its line-up, now available in four-wheel-drive-form only, after it was temporarily removed from sale last year.
The BMW 3 Series-rivalling executive saloon was originally pulled in October so the Swedish firm could fulfil its existing orders. The car maker blamed the combined effects of component shortages and supply issues as a result of Covid-19 for not being able to meet demand.
Now the hybrid-only saloon returns without a front-wheel-drive option, and with a new starting price: the entry-level mild-hybrid B5 has increased from £44,580 to £46,135. The top-specification plug-in hybrid T8 Recharge has also gone up by £105.
Specification for both models remains unchanged, with the B5 and T8 Recharge using tuned versions of Volvo’s 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine, producing a combined 246bhp and 448bhp respectively.
Volvo said that it would keep the S60 on sale for “the medium-term future”. This would only continue for as long as it had sufficient allocation space and had secured a supply of components to complete orders of new cars to customers.
No further changes were made to pricing or specification of Volvo’s mid-size estate offering, the V60, which shares the same platform and powertrain options as its sibling and has remained on sale.
Volvo would not comment on a potential replacement for the S60 saloon. However, with the brand aiming to become all-electric by 2030, we would expect a fully electric S60 to join its seven-strong line-up in the coming years.
Figures released by Jato Dynamics showed that both the S60 and V60 suffered a 51% drop in registrations between October 2021 and October 2022, representing the biggest fall in Volvo’s line-up.
The current Volvo XC90 is set to be replaced by the forthcoming Volvo EX90 electric SUV. Volvo is also introducing a smaller electric SUV, called the Volvo EX30, in its bid to target younger customers and rival the Jeep Avenger.
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I am not surprised sales are down for the V60 the base price has increased by nearly £10k since 2020.
Such a strange decision to offer it to UK public again - given that the UK public appear to have rejected this car.
One 4dr car that is a relatively common sight on our roads is a Polestar which makes the S60's return an even stranger decision. If there is still a chip supply issue, why would you direct your limited supply into an unpopular car rather than produce more popular cars that will obviously bring in revenue? Strange, very strange but I guess Volvo will have their reason.
I'm not familiar with Volvo's 'rental' way of driving their car but the following makes interesting reading ( to a nerd like me anyway ). An S60 costs just over £46k and a XC60 £1500 more at £47500. According to Volvo website the waiting time on an S60 is nearly 12 mths. The wait on that XC60 is half that time. Despite being £1500 more expensive, Volvo ask £649 /mth to drive away the XC60 but the S60 - for the exact same annual mileage, they're asking £1194 !!!! That's getting on for double the price.
In other words, even Volvo are saying a used S60 is going to be worth burger all as the difference in price will no doubt be due to depreciation.
I just can't figure out why any sane person in the UK would buy a brand new S60.
I think it's more a case of getting tidying up the factory and spares department. Sales are just to poor to keep it going.