Volvo XC90 Recharge Plug-in Hybrid T8

The Volvo XC90 Recharge Plug-in Hybrid T8. Image: Supplied

Volvo XC90 T8 is South Africa’s ‘most wanted hybrid’

Volvo’s XC90 range has been revving it up with South African motorists.

Volvo XC90 Recharge Plug-in Hybrid T8

The Volvo XC90 Recharge Plug-in Hybrid T8. Image: Supplied

The Volvo XC90 T8 is the hybrid that South Africans most want to own according to the 2020 AutoTrader Car Industry Report, which covers the period July 2019 to June 2020.

The report, which uncovers and details trends within the used car market in South Africa, reveals that the XC90 T8 is the most popular hybrid in this country – by far. The report also reveals that, while fuel type searches in South Africa still skew to petrol and diesel, electric vehicle and hybrid searches are increasing in consumer consideration.

Volvo XC90: Advanced safety and Scandinavian flair

The XC90 – a premium sports utility vehicle (SUV) that combines advanced safety and Scandinavian flair while offering seating for up to seven passengers – was refreshed in South Africa in 2019. The Plug-In Hybrid is the top-of-the-range model.

It has a supercharged and turbocharged petrol engine, which works in conjunction with an electric motor, delivering power of 300kW (235kW + 65kW) and torque of 640Nm (400Nm + 240Nm). Fuel consumption is a remarkable 2.1 litres per 100km (combined) while emissions are a low 49g/km.

Entire Volvo XC90 range finding favour

While the XC90 T8 Plug-In Hybrid is popular among environmentally conscious motorists in South Africa, the entire XC90 range is increasingly finding favour — sales of new XC90s rose four-fold in July 2020 in the country versus the month before.

Meanwhile, in the used car market in South Africa, the Volvo XC90 D5 AWD Inscription is the single most sold model in the XC90 range.

According to AutoTrader data applicable to the period July 2019 to June 2020, this was the most sold used XC90 by far. It outsold the second most popular model – the Volvo XC90 D5 AWD R-Design – by almost three to one.

The D5 AWD Inscription sold with an average mileage of 26 673km and an average year of registration of 2018. The equivalent statistics for the D5 AWD R-Design are 26 678km and 2018.

The third-most sold model is the Volvo XC90 T6 AWD Inscription, which was sold with an average mileage of 35 721 km and an average year of registration of 2017.