Volvo is a company on a mission. Having recently launched its Drive-E four-cylinder engines, the Swedish automaker is now developing three-cylinder engines, with each cylinder powering 0,5-litres.
“The development program for the new three-cylinder engine is very advanced and we have already begun prototype testing of the unit,” Volvo R&D chief Peter Mertens said in a statement. “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.”
According to Volvo the new range of three-cylinder engines will be capable of delivering up to 135 kW, and will come in both petrol and diesel variants.
The top of the range units will feature turbocharging, and implementation of these engines may be used on conjunction with hybrid systems, or even as range-extenders for electric cars.
The new 1,5-litre three-cylinder engines will feature in future Volvo cars, with the first to feature the engine possibly being the next S60 and V60 ranges.