According to Jonathan Browning, president and CEO of Volkswagen of America who spoke to plugincars.com in February, the company plans to “make a decision on that soon,” but he was only talking about maybe 20 cars out of 250 planned for global production.

Volkswagen’s super-aerodynamic 800cc TDI is ultralight at 1,753 pounds, and how it would fare in federal crash tests is very much in question.

If it was able to slip through to U.S. soil legally, it is thought likely that it would do so under some exception to the regulations.

Previously exemptions have been offered to supercars such as a Porsche 959 brought in by Bill Gates under “show and display” rules.

Jim Motivalli, writing for plugincars.com noted such exotics as the McLaren F1 and Jaguar XJ220 had also been given a pass while otherwise not meeting full federal regulations.

As Motivalli pointed out, it would not make a whole lot of sense to import the world’s ultimate fuel sipper, then essentially make it only a showpiece.

But then, maybe it could do some good, possibly raising awareness or – an outside chance – even provoking emulation to one degree or another.

Either way, it could be interesting to see up close whether the cost-is-no-object wundercar is really four to six times more fuel efficient than a Prius.

plugincars.com

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These changes will trickle down to the sole hybrid model of the brand, the V60 Plug-in Hybrid.

“This is the most extensive development of existing models in our company’s history. Each of the enhancements is designed around our customers’ needs. We have focused on quality and attention to detail in order to give these dynamic models a major boost and sharpen their competitiveness,” said Lex Kerssemakers, senior vice president, Product Strategy & Vehicle Line Management at Volvo Car Group. “The S60 and XC60 are our best-selling models in several important markets, and the innovative V60 Plug-in Hybrid has got off to a flying start. We have been listening very carefully to our customers in order to make improvements that ensure that we make these successful cars more attractive.”

Changes have been made to the exterior and interior of the vehicles; for example, the previously visible washer nozzles have been relocated out of sight under the hood; the radar cover has been painted gloss black, which practically makes it disappear in the grille; the chrome frame around the grille has been removed.

Moreover, fine calibration of mechanical components have allowed further savings in fuel consumption.

Following the successful introduction in high-specification “Pure Limited” guise, the Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid is now available with a full range of colors and specifications, including most of the design and technology upgrades of the standard V60.

“We’ve made the car look more purposeful and dynamic, reflecting its personality. And your every interaction with your car is more intuitive, expressive and customizable,” says Patrik Widerstrand.

The tailgate on the world’s first diesel plug-in hybrid still displays the D6 AWD badge. The front wheels are powered by a five-cylinder 2.4-liter turbo diesel engine producing 215 horsepower, all sent through a six-speed automatic transmission.

The rear axle is powered by an electric motor producing 70 horsepower. The electric motor is supplied with power from an 11.2 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack installed under the floor of the load compartment.

The driver selects the required driving mode via three buttons that give the car three entirely different temperaments: Pure, Hybrid or Power.

In Pure mode, the car is powered solely by its electric motor as much as possible. The range is up to 50 kilometers (31 miles).

Hybrid mode is the standard setting whenever the car is started. The diesel engine and electric motor cooperate to achieve CO2 emissions (NEDC, mixed driving cycle for certification) of 48 g/km (1.8 l/100km).

In Power mode, the technology is optimized to give the car the maximum possible power. The diesel engine and electric motor combine to deliver a total power output of 285 horsepower, for a 0 to 60 acceleration time of less than 6.1 seconds.

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