Volvo XC90: 2015 SUV Model To Have Both Electric And Gas Engine, Isn’t A Normal Hybrid?

The 2015 Volvo XC90 hybrid is certainly an odd duck when it comes to car designs. The car manufacturer is apparently trying to set themselves apart from the competition by building 4-wheel drive car that has both an electric engine and a gas-powered engine.

In a related report by The Inquisitr, watch Channing Tatum poke fun at a Volvo ad featuring Jean-Claude Van Damme.

When the 2015 Volvo XC90 hybrid was first spotted in the wild the first everyone noticed was the stylistic differences, including a longer hood and a curvier rear end. Volvo’s active safety features were expected to include a steering assist function, a system for detecting the edges of roads, and an updated pedestrian detection system for when driving in the dark.

Apple Carplay will also be featured in the Volvo XC90, which allows iPhone users to search maps, play music, and answer phone calls “with minimized distraction,” according to Apple. Of course, Ferrari, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar, and Mercedes-Benz, will also get this feature, so it’s not a Volvo exclusive.

We also knew the Volvo XC90 engine would feature the company’s new modular platform, called SPA. While while everyone was expecting four-cylinder engines and turbocharged no one seemed to expect a hybrid to be coming out the door. But if Bloomberg is correct in its description then the 2015 Volvo XC90 engine options will be quite different from a normal hybrid:

“Customers who want more than the 190 horsepower generated by the standard combustion engines can order electric motors that give the vehicle as much as 400 horsepower…. The hybrid models will have four-wheel drive as the electric motors power the rear wheels while the conventional engines power the front.”

This is fairly different from the norm since typically the gas engines in a hybrid operate as an electrical generator for the electric engine instead of powering anything directly. But Volvo Cars Chief Executive Officer Hakan Samuelsson says they’re trying to make the Volvo XC90 stand out:

“Sometimes you have to make radical choices, but we’re not a bit nervous about it. The brand has to stand out a bit more.”

What do you think about the engine design of the 2015 Volvo XC90?