Volvo to launch plug-in hybrid in Japan

Magnus Jonsson, senior vice president of Sweden’s Volvo Car Corp., said that the auto maker will launch a plug-in hybrid vehicle in Japan. The Japan launch of the car, which Volvo will start producing in 2012, is expected to be in 2013 or later because initial shipments will be chiefly bound for Europe. The vehicle being developed will be powered by a lithium-ion battery, which can be recharged at home, and a diesel engine. The model for Japan, however, will have a gasoline engine. The company has yet to decide on the vehicle model on which the new hybrid will be based and its price, but hopes to achieve a long electric-only cruising range with a large-capacity battery, according to Jonsson. (September 16, 2009)