The outgoing car, launched in 2002, has had a shrinking engine range during its time on sale in the UK and is only available with a single D5 five-cylinder diesel engine.

Its replacement will feature a choice of four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines from the Drive-E range, designed to standardise transmissions and mounting points as well as to accommodate electric motors. The platform is the first derived from Volvo’s Scalable Product Architecture, saving weight and also aiding the packaging of electric components.

Conventional drivetrains will comprise 190PS D4 and 225PS D5 diesel engines returning 5.0l/100km and 6.0l/100km respectively on the combined cycle, as well as 317hp T6 and 251hp T5 petrol units. All launch models will feature four-wheel drive.

The plug-in hybrid, which will be badged as the Twin Engine T8, uses a similar setup to the V60 Plug-in Hybrid. Its front wheels are powered by a 2.0-litre supercharged and turbocharged petrol engine, while the rear wheels are driven by an 80bhp electric motor.

It means this can function as a conventional hybrid, or the driver can select a fully electric mode for up to 40km. Volvo is claiming CO2 emissions of around 60g/km based on the NEDC fuel economy test, which is the lowest in its segment and equates to around 2.5l/100km.