On the 18th May 2020, which was sometime just before the recent Hari Raya Idil Fitri celebrations here in Malaysia, Volvo Car Malaysia launched the Volvo S60 T8 in its Completely Knocked-Down (CKD) or locally assembled form for the country. This is similar to the current fully imported of Completely Built-Up (CBU) variant, the Volvo S60 T8 CKD and it will only come in a single T8 R-Design variant for Malaysia. In this new CKD form, it will now cost us RM295,888 (on-the-road, without insurance, inclusive of excise duty and sales tax) and will be available for viewing at all authorised Volvo dealers and also available for booking via the Volvo Car Malaysia website, which makes sense in these times of a pandemic.
The 2020 Volvo S60 T8 CKD is powered by the award-winning T8 Twin Engine e-AWD plug-in hybrid engine/motor powertrain which makes 407 hp and 640 Nm of torque. The electric motor part of it makes 87 hp and 240 Nm of torque while its Drive-E petrol engine, which is one of those twin-charged systems is equipped with supercharger and turbocharger technology. It make 320 hp and 400 Nm of torque and with this combo, 0-100 km/h run is achieved in a very fast for a mid-sized sedan, 4.4 seconds.
Nalin Jain, Managing Director of Volvo Car Malaysia had said at the online virtual launch that the car, “Being a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), the S60 T8 CKD not only helps to minimise exhaust emissions, but also offers exhilarating acceleration and performance. In a sense, it is a vehicle that lets you recharge by giving you control over amazing performance, whilst helping the world recharge via a cleaner environment,”
According to the folks at Volvo Car, the company is not only taking the initiative to introduce PHEVs but also purely electric vehicles with the aim to reduce its carbon footprint per vehicle by 40 per-cent between 2018 and 2025. It is also making a change from its supply chain itself – Volvo is the first car manufacturer to use blockchain technology to monitor and trace cobalt throughout the supply line, meaning that the battery packs used in the S60 T8 CKD are sourced responsibly. So you can see that the Swedish company isn't just talking about their safety, but now environmental sustainability too.
So while the powertrain and drivetrain still allow the responsible Volvo S60 T8 CKD to still hustle, the interior also conveys a sense of elegance. The interior is fitted with Charcoal Fine Nappa Leather with Open Grid Textile upholstery and a tailored dashboard. A very focused 14-speaker system powered by Harman Kardon that is linked to a Sensus Connect infotainment system is fitted to make you have quite a sensory audio experience while you are driving it.
Aside from that, Volvo Cars’ Sensus Connect infotainment system is fully compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, keeping drivers connected at all times. The intuitive control is a tablet-style touch screen interface that combines car functions, navigation and in-car entertainment apps.
As for safety features, notable safety bits fitted in the Volvo S60 T8 CKD is the City Safety with Autobrake technology, which assists the driver in avoiding potential collisions and is the only system in the market to recognise pedestrians, cyclists and large animals. In a world-first for the mid-size sedan segment, City Safety now also engages auto braking to mitigate oncoming collisions.
Then there is the Pilot Assist system – which supports the driver with steering, acceleration and braking on well-marked roads up to 130km/h – has been upgraded with improved cornering performance. The Volvo S60 T8 CKD also includes Run-off Road Mitigation, Oncoming Lane Mitigation and other steering assistance systems. The Cross Traffic Alert further enhances safety for people inside and outside the car designed to detect traffic crossing behind the car when reversing.
The Volvo S60 T8 CKD is underpinned by Volvo Cars’ own Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) platform, safety technology and infotainment system, which is used in the top-of-the-line 90 Series cars, the award-winning XC60, now the S60 T8 CKD.
The car is essentially the same as the fully imported variant. It is actually priced the same as the fully imported one surprisingly. This is most likely because the CBU price was actually a special price which was negotiated with the customs and excise department in lieu of local assembly. As such, and if you have been keeping track of the current local assembly situation, the government has actually made things a little more stringent in terms of how much local content and other details since the end of 2018. So most likely, this is what caused the price of this new Volvo to be the same.
If you are worried about quality, well Volvo Car actually uses its Malaysian assembly plant for export sales in South East Asia. The cars from the Shah Alam plant actually end up in Vietnam and Thailand as well as a few other countries regionally. As I have seen on previous Volvo test drive cars like the XC90 CKD, the quality is actually the same as the ones which are imported. So personally, there is no difference in terms of quality.
Anyway, customers will have the option to choose among four distinct colours: Crystal White Pearl, Fusion Red Metallic, Onyx Black Metallic and Pebble Grey Metallic.
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