The Volvo V60 has been leaked ahead of its official Geneva motor show launch, showing the car's side-on and rear-end styling. As can be seen in previous spy shots of the car, the V60 gets the Volvo family face, while the side and rear styling is similar to that of the V90. Volvo has also revealed glimpses of the car in a promotional video and preview shots. The leaked images first appeared on Bosnian site 'AutoMotoSvijet'.

The V60’s design was clear to see through the heavy camouflage, with obvious reference to larger models in Volvo’s line-up which were styled by former Volvo head of design – now Polestar CEO – Thomas Ingenlath. An S60 sedan will arrive soon after and both are expected to go on sale in early 2019.

This rival to BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-class is likely to share engines with the XC60 SUV and will be built on the same Scalable Product Architecture as the rest of Volvo's large model range.

This means that a 407hp T8 Twin Engine plug-in hybrid with quad rectangular exhausts – as seen in the leaked images – will top the range as a softer rival to the Audi S4 and Mercedes-AMG C43. Meanwhile, two 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel engines and one petrol unit will also feature. It’s possible that a smaller hybrid using a 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine will arrive later, shared with the XC40 small SUV.

Trims will mirror that of the XC60, with Momentum-spec at entry-level and R-Design Pro at the top. Inscription will be in the middle.

Its safety kit will also match that of the XC60. So when it hits the market in early 2019, it’s likely to be the safest car in the class. The XC60 was declared the safest car ever tested by Euro NCAP, last year, achieving a 95 percent overall score. It is equipped with safety systems that are more advanced than what Euro NCAP currently tests on cars.

Prices are expected to be less than the XC60 in the entry-level 2.0 D4 Momentum spec. It will, admittedly, be an increase over the previous car; but Volvo's move upmarket and the previous V60's long production run account for this jump.

Volvo is also introducing subscription plans, named 'Care by Volvo' for its models. Starting with the XC40, it's likely that this will also be rolled out across the rest of the range – including the V60.

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