Volvo · 2000–present

Volvo S60

The Volvo S60 is a compact executive car manufactured and marketed by Volvo Cars since 2000. Introduced as the successor to the Volvo S70, the model has been produced in three generations. The first generation was introduced in 2000 and is based on the Volvo P2 platform. Its estate counterpart is the Volvo V70. A high-performance variant, the S60 R, was introduced in 2002. The second generation was introduced in 2010; its estate counterpart is the Volvo V60. The third generation was introduced in 2018 on Volvo's Scalable Product Architecture platform. It became the first Volvo model produced in the United States, at the company's plant in Ridgeville, South Carolina. The United States briefly became the sole global source of the S60 sedan after production in China was temporarily halted in early 2019. Production for North America and Europe ended in 2024, while production in China continued for the Chinese and select Asia-Pacific markets.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Predecessor: Volvo S70

All Volvo S60 data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years → + Compare

First generation (2000)

The S60 was built on Volvo's P2 platform, which was shared with other Volvo models like the S80, V70, XC70 and finally the XC90. The design of the S60 drew styling cues from the Volvo ECC concept car and the Volvo S80. The Volvo S60 was released in 2000 (2001 model year) being the company's new generation sports sedan. The S60 is aimed to mainly compete in Europe with the BMW 3 Series (E46), the Mercedes-Benz C-Class (W203) and the Alfa Romeo 156. Unlike its rivals, the Volvo S60 continued production for 9 years with multiple facelifts. When it was introduced the appearance was unlike the squared vehicles offered in previous years, and continued the new design tradition introduced by the larger S80, utilizing a cab forward approach and was more organic appearing with a pronounced shelf along the beltline that ran the length of the vehicle, achieving a Cd=0.28 drag coefficient. Volvo continued its safety tradition, offering front and rear integrated crumple zones, driver and front passenger dual threshold airbags with a collapsible three-stage steering column, Side Impact Protection System (SIPS) supplemented with air bags for driver and front passenger, along with a side curtain airbag for front and rear passengers, anti-submarine seats, five padded head restraints with Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS), and automatic seat belt pretensioners while front belts also have height adjustment. In 2004 PremAir™ was introduced as a standard feature to the exterior radiator surface which converts up to 75 percent of ground level ozone in the radiator cooling air into oxygen, while the Interior Air Quality System cleans the air inside, detects for pollutants and automatically recirculates in comparison to the air outside. The upholstery was available in taupe, light sand or grap

Second generation (2010)

The second generation S60 began production in Ghent, Belgium on May 17, 2010, with an expected annual production of 90,000 vehicles. Official photos were released in November 2009, and the car was publicly unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2010. It debuted as a 2011 model in North America. The second generation S60 also arrived with the 5th generation Haldex AWD system. More differences in the second generation S60 include the new large Volvo iron symbol, parallel to the grille LED day running lamps and larger spaced letters in the brand name on rear. The engine range of the S60 and V60 comprises four petrol engines and three diesels. The engines available are the T3, T4, T5 and T6 petrol engines and D3, D5 and 1.6D DRIVe diesel engines, the latter of which has Stop Start Technology to increase the efficiency of the engine. The 2.4-litre D5 plug-in hybrid version, fitted with a five-cylinder diesel engine and a 50 kW electric motor, was scheduled for sale in Europe by November 2012. The Volvo S60 and V60 come with Volvo's City Safety system as standard, which is the same system fitted to the related Volvo XC60. This system can automatically apply the brakes in the event of an impending collision in "City Traffic" below 19 mph (31 km/h). Also, a new safety feature named "Pedestrian Detection" (available on both the V60 and S60) detects people in front of the car and automatically applies the brakes if the driver does not react in time. The sedan used Volvo's new design language already seen in the Volvo XC60 concept. 2013 T5 engine update. In 2013, the T5 engine was revamped before the launch of the Drive-E arrival. Among the tweaks to the T5 power plant is a boost in engine compression to 9.5:1 from 9.0, engine torque peaks at 4200 rpm and engine management cha

Third generation (2018)

The third-generation Volvo S60 entered production in 2018 for the 2019 model, going on sale in October 2018. With sales of three-box sedans steadily losing ground to SUV variants (and in Volvo's case, to the V60 as well), US production ended in June 2024 and sales came to an end in North America and Europe. Production. Production began in September 2018 and ended in June 2024 in Ridgeville, South Carolina. Production continued in China for Asian markets as well as Australia, places were traditional sedans still find buyers. The third generation of the Volvo S60 is the first Volvo manufactured in the United States. A 2.3-million-square-foot (210,000 m2) plant built over 60,000 vehicles per year for both American and export markets. Capacity can go up to 100,000 vehicles per year if demand calls for it. The facility is Volvo's seventh, joining two European, three Chinese, and one Malaysian location. As of 2022, the plant employed nearly 1,500 people. Trim levels. The S60 is available in Core, Plus, Ultimate, and Polestar trim levels depending on the sales market. Other than the Polestar, T6 Momentum, and T6 R-Design trims, all S60 models can be traditionally purchased or leased. Polestar models were offered solely through Volvo's Care by Volvo monthly subscription plan for the 2019 model year for the United States market. United Kingdom. In the United Kingdom, the S60 was offered as R-Design, R-Design Plus, Inscription, Inscription Plus, and Polestar Engineered, then from 2020, Plus and Ultimate. Engines. The S60 comes with four engine options: the t4, 187hp/190hp, the T5, which features a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder sending 252 hp (188 kW; 255 PS) to the front wheels (or all four wheels in some markets as an option), the T6, which features a Twincharged 2.0 I4,

British land speed record

On 14 and 15 October 2000, the first-generation S60 T5 broke 18 British land speed records (including the highest average speed over a 24-hour period) for a Production Car class D (2000–3000cc) at 135.10 miles per hour (217.42 km/h) at the Millbrook Proving Ground, in Bedfordshire, UK. A joint project by Volvo and Prodrive and covered by Channel 4's Driven and Car magazine. The car was standard except for safety modifications such as a roll cage, exterior cut out switch, a modified fuel tank and additional head support to allow the drivers (BTCC drivers Anthony Reid, Rickard Rydell, John Cleland and Alain Menu as well as various Car journalists and Channel 4's Mike Brewer) to rest their neck during the 2-hour gaps between pit stops. Each pitstop included a driver change, refuel and tyre changes due to the extreme stresses being placed on the front outside tyre. The following records were broken:

Motorsport

The S60 has been raced in a range of championships across Europe, North America and Australia. Europe. Volvo regularly entered the S60 in the Swedish Touring Car Championship, where it finished 2nd in the drivers' championship twice and won the manufacturers' title once. The S60 continued to be raced after the formation of the Scandinavian Touring Car Championship, a merger of the Swedish and Danish touring car championships. Thed Björk won three consecutive titles from 2013 to 2015, and Rikard Göransson won the championship in 2016, driving an S60 prepared by Polestar Racing. From 2002 to 2007 there was an S60 one-make racing series as a support series to the Swedish Touring Car Championship known as the S60 Challenge Cup, using 26 factory-modified S60s. An S60 was driven by Robert Dahlgren in the Swedish round of the 2007 World Touring Car Championship. In 2016 the S60 made its return to the WTCC with Fredrik Ekblom and Thed Björk driving for Polestar Cyan Racing. Their 2017 lineup consists of Thed Björk, Nestor Girolami and Nick Catsburg. North America. The first generation S60 made its competitive debut in 2006, racing in the Speed World Challenge GT class. The second-generation model was introduced for the 2009 season. In 2010, its programme was expanded to include the SCCA Pro Racing World Challenge, where it won both the drivers' championship, for factory driver Randy Pobst, his fourth, and manufacturers' championships in the GT class. The programme was expanded again in 2011 to include the Pirelli World Challenge. Australia. Volvo competed in the V8 Supercars Championship with two rear wheel drive V8 B8444S powered S60s between 2014 and 2016 with Garry Rogers Motorsport highlighted by a debut 2nd place at the Adelaide 500, a last second overtake to steal a race

Sales and marketing

† Combined total for S60 and V60. ‡ Includes 67 sales of the S60L long-wheelbase version. Product placement. Volvo vehicles, including the S60, appeared in the Twilight film series as part of a marketing partnership between Volvo and the franchise. Contemporary reporting noted that the exposure increased visibility for Volvo among younger audiences.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name

Volvo S60

Manufacturer

Volvo Cars

Production

2000–2024, 2013–present (China)

Class

Compact executive car (D)

Body style

4-door saloon

Layout

Front-engine, front-wheel-drive, Front-engine, four-wheel-drive

Predecessor

Volvo S70

Related

Volvo V60, Volvo XC60

Model years

2001–2025 (North America and Europe), 2001–present (China and select Asia-Pacific countries)

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Check the linked sources for citations.

More photos

US EPA fuel-economy records

US EPA test figures (US MPG, US test cycle).

Sources

• Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1123538CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volvo_S60CC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1373873330 · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:0_Volvo_S60_(3rd_generation)_1.jpgCC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo: Benespit · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.

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