2013 Volvo V60 Diesel Plug-In Hybrid

The company says that it will ramp up production to 4,000-6,000 units from 2014, since order books are already beginning to fill up. The project, which has been developed and financed by Volvo and Swedish electricity supplier Vattenfall, is the world’s first diesel plug-in hybrid.

Incorporating the hybrid’s manufacture in the Torslanda plant’s production line, which also builds Volvo’s regular models, has required certain parts of the assembly line to be modified in order to integrate the more than 300 different parts that the V60 Plug-in Hybrid encompasses compared to the conventional models.

For example, the electric motor and its drive shafts are fitted on the same station as the final drive on the standard all-wheel drive versions. Additionally, the lithium-ion battery pack, which according to Mertens is “the single most complex system in the car”, is lifted through the tailgate and then spun a quarter of a turn in the passenger compartment in just 60 seconds and with less than 20 mm clearance.

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2013 Volvo V40 First Shots of the Interior

On the outside, as we noted before, the new five-door compact model adopts the Swedish firm's design DNA with a shape that brings to mind Volvo's crossover models like the XC60 and XC90.

The latest batch of images includes the very first pictures of the new V40's interior. While you still get the feeling that it's a Volvo from details like the shape of the center console and the air-conditioning and audio system controls, the Swedish brand's designers added a rather futuristic looking instrument panel into the mix.

According to a leaked document that was posted online last week, Volvo's premium hatchback measures 4,500 mm or about 177-inches in length, making it only 20 mm or 0.77-inches shorter than the V50 station wagon, and considerably longer than its rivals like the BMW 1-series 5-door model (4,324 mm or 170.2-in.)

The new V40 will be offered with a choice of four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines, details of which have not yet been released.

We'll have the opportunity to see the new Volvo V40 in the flesh during its world premiere at the 82nd Geneva International Motor Show in March before it goes on sale later in the year.

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2013 Volvo V40 Hatchback

 The first cropped picture shows the front end of the compact model while the second grainy image gives us an unobstructed view of its rear end and profile.

We can’t vouch for its authenticity but it does look to be the real deal if you want our opinion.

The new V40 is expected to launch in Europe this summer rivaling the likes of the BMW 1-Series, Audi A3 and even the Volkswagen Golf.

The Swedish automaker has said that the V40 will be the first production Volvo to benefit from the company's new modular Volvo Evironmental Architecture (VEA) four-cylinder engine lineup featuring direct injection for its gasoline and common rail for its diesel variants.

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