A Volvo, the brand of the Chinese giant Geely, is developing a plug-in hybrid SUV aimed at the Chinese market, which is expected to launch locally by 2025.
Chinese media reports that the new SUV, internally known as the V446, is being developed in collaboration between Geely and Meizu, the smartphone manufacturer acquired by Geely in July 2022, and is set to begin production in early 2025 at Volvo’s factory in Taizhou, China.
The Volvo V446 will be based on one of the existing plug-in hybrid SUV models from Lynk & Co and will feature software and hardware developed by Volvo China’s research and development team. However, the intelligent infotainment system will be developed by the Meizu team.
Although the Chinese media has not revealed which model the new V446 will be based on, “CarNewsChina” reports that the Lynk & Co 08 will serve as the foundation for the Volvo model intended for the Chinese market, utilizing the EM-P PHEV technology based on the CMA 2 platform, which is familiar to Volvo, as its older version underpins the XC40.