Trademarks Suggest Volvo Could Create All-Electric XC60

New trademarks out of Sweden indicate that Volvo could be working on at least two all-electric versions of the XC60 SUV, dubbed the B4 AWD and B5 AWD.

Volvo’s current naming structure sees diesel vehicles badged as D4, D5 or D6 for example, while those utilizing petrol powertrains start with a T, like with the T5, T6 and plug-in hybrid T8. There are currently no vehicles in Volvo’s range that feature engines denoted by a ‘B’.

Swedespeed reports that Volvo has used engines featuring the letter B in its past. For example, in 1944, the company produced the B4B engine and in the 1960’s and 70’s, sold all its U.S. models with a B18 engine. In those cases, the B stood for Bensin and was used for the company’s petrol-powered vehicles. In 2010, Volvo switched from using B to using T for these powertrains.

Volvo is in the midst of an aggressive expansion of its electrified offerings and will soon only sell vehicles with hybrid or all-electric technology. It’s therefore reasonable to assume that the B of these new trademarks could be short for Battery and may refer to an all-electric version of the Volvo XC60.

If this is the case, it’s difficult to know exactly what form such a vehicle will take. Could it adopt a bespoke design to separate it from ICE-powered XC60s? Possibly. However, the fact that the SUV will still be dubbed an XC60 tells us that the changes will probably be limited to the new powertrain and perhaps some subtle visual changes, like the removal of a traditional front grille.