Volvo XC60 Polestar Engineered dead in Australia, facelifted Recharge Plug-in Hybrid to replace it by early 2022

The 2021 Volvo XC60 T8 Polestar Engineered plug-in hybrid (PHEV) will soon be phased out of the Volvo Australia line-up, in favour of a new PHEV model wearing 'Recharge' branding by early 2022.

The news was broken in the wake of the announcement of the Model Year 2022 Volvo Australia range, which included the introduction of a facelifted XC60 SUV in mild-hybrid B5 and B6 forms – but saw the plug-in hybrid T8 Polestar Engineered miss out.

A Volvo Australia spokesperson confirmed to Drive the current, pre-update Polestar Engineered will be discontinued, being replaced instead by a new variant known by the company's corporate moniker for plug-in hybrid models: Recharge Plug-in Hybrid.

First showroom arrivals are slated to commence in late 2021 or early 2022 – following the mild-hybrid XC60 range on sale within the coming weeks.

Details of the XC60 Recharge's powertrain have yet to be confirmed, though Drive understands it will employ a similar 'T8' plug-in hybrid system to the outgoing Polestar Engineered, albeit without the old car's Polestar-specific performance tuning.

A 2.0-litre turbocharged and supercharged four-cylinder petrol engine will be paired to a 65kW electric motor and a carry-over 11.6kWh battery, expected to develop around 300kW and 640Nm – a mild decrease over the Polestar Engineered's 311kW and 640Nm.

Drive will continue to be sent through an eight-speed automatic transmission to all four wheels, enabling a 0-100km/h time of around 5.3 seconds – one tenth slower than the outgoing Polestar flagship. Expect a mild bump in electric driving range, from the Polestar's 44km.

Despite losing the Polestar Engineered's performance-oriented components – namely its manually-adjustable Ohlins dampers, six-piston Akebono performance brakes, unique 21-inch alloy wheels and gold accents – the new Recharge Plug-in Hybrid still promises to offer a high level of standard equipment.

Additional equipment over the B6 R-Design should include a 15-speaker Bowers & Wilkins sound system, panoramic sunroof, heated steering wheel, rear privacy glass and heated wiper blades.

That's in addition to items such as a 9.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Google Maps integration, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, 21-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, multi-zone climate control, wireless phone charging, nappa leather-accented trim, and a full suite of active driver assistance technologies.

Pricing for the new XC60 Recharge Plug-in Hybrid has yet to be confirmed, though expect the model to cost around $95,000 before on-road costs – a few thousand dollars under the current Polestar Engineered, which is currently priced from just over $100,000 before on-road costs.

The 2022 Volvo XC60 Recharge Plug-in Hybrid will go on sale in Australia in late 2021 or early 2022.