Gothenburg, Sweden - Volvo calls this 'the world's most powerful and cleanest SUV'.
Hype aside, the numbers quoted are extraordinary: The new seven-seater XC90 T8 is rated at 290kW and 640Nm, as well as a somewhat unrealistic EU combined-cycle fuel consumption of 2.5 litres per 100km.
According to Volvo R&D vice-president Peter Mertens, "The XC90 T8 is a plug-in electric car, hybrid car and high-performance car rolled into one".
Volvo calls it Twin Engine technology - although, to be pedantic, it actually has three - and it starts with the company's now-standard two-litre, four-cylinder Drive-E combustion engine.
In this application it runs on petrol, force-fed by both a supercharger and a turbocharger, to deliver a claimed 235 kW and 400Nm - impressive but not unbelievable numbers, although they do raise concerns about the durability of an engine producing almost 120kW per litre.
That drives the front wheels via an eight-speed shift-by-wire automatic transmission, with a larger than usual oil-pump so that everything works smoothly even when the combustion engine isn't running.
Sandwiched between the two is a 34kW crankshaft-mounted starter/generator/booster. Firstly, it's a powerful starter motor that enables almost seamless transitions from pure electric to hybrid operation; secondly, it's a potent electric generator, pushing amperage into the batteries whenever it's not helping to drive the car and lastly, it's an electric engine booster that provides as much as 150Nm of extra torque when needed in full-tilt boogie mode.
And lastly, there's a big 60kW/240Nm electric motor on the rear axle, that drives the rear wheels by itself in pure electric mode and together with the front-wheel drive powertrain in power-boost and off-road modes.
But because there's no mechanical connection between the front and rear axles, the transmission tunnel is empty, and that's where the 270-400V, 65kW battery pack has been installed, low down and in the middle of the chassis, where it improves stability and doesn't reduce luggage or third-row seating capacity.
FIVE DRIVING MODES
Using all the available power sources, the XC90 T8 can go from 0-100km/h in less than six seconds, but that's not what this extraordinarily accomplished SUV is all about.
Using either a scroll wheel on the centre console or a touchscreen on the dashboard, the driver can choose from five different driving modes.
HYBRID is the default mode, leaving most of the decision-making to the car as it as automatically goes from front-wheel-drive combustion power to rear-wheel battery drive to deliver the lowest overall fuel consumption.
In PURE ELECTRIC mode the battery is the car's only energy source - while it lasts. Mertens says it gives the T8 a range of more than 40km so, if your daily commute is a relatively short one and you have access to a charging point at work, you could go the whole week without using any petrol at all.
When the battery is drained or more power is needed, as in a quick overtaking move, the combustion engine starts up so smoothly you may not be aware of it.
POWER mode is where it all happens - literally - as the car throws all its available power into the pot, using the two electric motors for instant torque at low revs and the combustion engine for maximum top-end power.
AWD mode brings in the combustion engine and the rear electric motor together, for traction on poor roads or in slippery conditions - and it won't go out of all-wheel drive until you tell it to.
SAVE mode removes the rear electric motor from the equation, so you can save it for later use in pure electric mode when needed. And if the battery is low, it will use the combustion engine and generator to top up the battery and then 'freeze' it for when it's needed.
The new Volvo XC90 will be launched to world's media in late March or early April 2015, with the South African launch expected in the second half of the year - and yes, Cyril, we will be getting the Twin-Engine T8.
Details and prices for the local range will be available closer to the time, but Volvo SA expects them to start at about R800 000.