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Volvo's product development unit is still hard at work, even as Ford has
slapped a price tag on the brand. In an effort to develop more
environmentally-friendly vehicles capable of meeting stringent emissions
regulations on the horizon, the Swedish automaker has been working on some new
highly-efficient vehicles. In addition to the DRIVe trio of ultra-efficient
diesel-powered models, Volvo is working on an all-new micro-hybrid model. Set to
join the lineup in 2011, the vehicle will be available with a choice between
gasoline or diesel power, and a manual or automatic transmission. Fuel-saving
technology will include a start-stop system plus brake-energy regeneration to
cut consumption by nearly 5 percent. We'll see a full hybrid (with the ability
to run on electric power only) in 2012 with the D5 diesel engine (Volvo's
similar battery and flexfuel ReCharge Concept is above). A plug-in electric is
also expected to follow down the road.
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