High performance

Of the three engines, the turbocharged T5 gasoline engine has a peak power of 245 horsepower and a maximum torque of 380 Nm.

The T6 gasoline engine features both supercharger and turbocharger technologies, with its peak power reaching 306 hp and maximum torque 400 Nm.

The turbocharged D4 diesel engine has a peak power of 181 hp and a maximum torque of 400 Nm.

Its performance is made possible because of a technology called i-Art, the first of its kind in the world, according to Volvo.

"The brand new products are so powerful that they will change the way people think about engines, ending the decades-old assumption that more cylinders equals more power," said Crabb.

"We will develop smaller and more intelligent engines with so much power that they will turn 8-cylinder engines into dinosaurs."

His words were echoed by Xu Min, head of the Institute of Automotive Engineering at Shanghai Jiaotong University.

"I think these 4-cylinder engines will be the most powerful we will have in the long run." Crabb said Drive-E engines are also prepared for future electrification and key components can be connected easily.

He said the compact size of the four-cylinder engines means that the electric motor can be fitted in the front or rear of the vehicle and the battery pack will be located in the center of the car.

The engine family is part of an $11 billion, multi-year project that also includes its Scalable Product Architecture and other infrastructure and facilities upgrades.

The automaker announced as early as 2011 that both the Drive-E powertrain, which was formerly known as Volvo Engine Architecture, and the Scalable Product Architecture will be the core of its technological strength.

However, Volvo did not say at the press conference whether it will share them with its parent company Geely, which bought the Swedish brand from Ford in 2010.

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