Following a briefing by MBM Resources, RHB Research said Volvo Car Malaysia has plans to bring the third-generation S60 sedan in by the end of the year, likely as a fully imported model before being assembled locally at a later date.
Also set for arrival is the second-generation V60 wagon. Both models are based on Volvo's Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) platform.
Meanwhile, sales of the best-selling models, Volvo XC40 and XC90 SUV, among others, look resilient.
The new S60 is the first Volvo car to be sold without a diesel offering, signalling the company’s industry-leading commitment to electrification and a long-term future beyond the traditional combustion engine.
In 2017, Volvo was the first global car maker to announce its strategy that from 2019 all new models will be electrified.
Two turbo-charged and super-charged plug-in hybrid petrol engines are available in the new S60: Volvo’s T6 Twin Engine AWD plug-in hybrid that generates a combined 340hp, and the award-winning T8 Twin Engine AWD plug-in hybrid that delivers 400hp.
Volvo also offers its proven T5 and T6 petrol engines in the S60.
As for the V60, it has been redesigned and repositioned to compete directly with the BMW 3 Series Touring and the Audi A4 Avant, rather than the likes of the wagon version of the Ford Mondeo.
The new V60 is being offered in Europe with a wide range of four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines as well as electrified powertrains.
One of them will be a T6 Twin Engine badged version, featuring a turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine coupled with an electric motor to produce 335hp, while the other will be the more familiar and powerful T8 system with an impressive 385hp.
The V60 exterior is a lot like a downsized version of the V90 estate, but although there are a lot of similarities between the two, there are also areas where the V60 obviously takes some of its design inspiration from the XC60.
On another note, RHB Research said MBM Resources would introduce a facelift to the Perodua Axia soon with an estimated price (without insurance) of RM24,000-RM43,000.
RHB expects this to be positive to MBM's motor trading business as the Axia contributed about 30% to its total sales volume.
