It’s been confirmed the Volvo three-cylinder engine range will enter production before the end of the decade.

Volvo three-cylinder engine range to be a key component of hybrid drivetrains

According to the report on Autocar, the plans will take place after all four-cylinder versions of the Drive-E family have been rolled out by 2016. Speaking to the magazine, Volvo’s global powertrain boss, Derek Crabb, confirmed the roll-out and purpose of the three-cylinder Drive-E, with a petrol variant expected first as early as 2016. He said the 1.5-litre turbocharged engines will be introduced for the S60 and V60 family as well as in the mid-size SUVs.

Crabb however declined to say how many variants would be built but was clear that the line-up won’t be as comprehensive as that of the 2.0-litre engines, of which there will be four variants of each, plus powered-up Polestar versions.

“I see it being possible in S60, but not higher,” Crabb said. “It’s not planned for the higher XC cars at the moment. It’s not the power. It’s more to do with the torque.”

The units are also expected to become a key part of future hybrid drivetrains and will supposedly become mainstream in the early years of the next decade.

Mass-electrification of Volvo vehicles to be avoided for another decade.

Crabb also revealed that the engines will play a key role in the electrification of the Volvo powertrain line-up as it pushes to hit a 75g/km CO2 corporate average emissions target by the mid-2020s.

“Our average now is ?120g/km in Europe. By 2020, we have to get down to 95g/km but in Australia we have to get down to 75g/km in the same timeframe,” he said. “If you really get your engineering right, you can get through ?95g/km without electrification.”

“Hopefully, by 2025, electrification will be more commercially sensible and then you will have higher-power electrics, but you’ll need three-cylinder engines. So introducing a three-cylinder engine is creating building blocks through to 2025.”

In addition Crabb also confirmed that power upgrades were planned for each engine in the new Drive-E family every two years. Volvo has also designed hybrid ability into its new corporate drivetrain, with the capacity to fit a motor generator onto the front axle or an e-motor on the rear axle as per the ‘T8’ petrol-electric drivetrain that will be used ?by the XC90.

More details on the new Volvo three-cylinder engine range are yet to be released, so check back again for any new developments leading to the 2016 reveal.