Volvo's S80 and V70 DRIVe models have been further undergone a step to give class-leading CO2 emissions of under 120g/km.

The two new versions now both emit 119g/km of CO2, qualifying for the lowest 13% company car tax band. Previously, the DRIVe versions emitted 129g/km, putting them in the 18% banding.

The extra tweaks to Volvo's DRIVe technology, aiming at increased efficiency, include intelligent battery charging which permits the alternator to charge the battery only at times of low load, such as driving downhill - along with a low-friction belt to drive the alternator and air-conditioning system.

Moreover, Volvo has worked in favour of improving fuel economy as well - the S80 and V70 DRIVe models now return an average of 62mpg - up 5mpg on the previous DRIVe versions.

Stephen Odell, Volvo's CEO and cars president, said: 'Now that we have brought two of the larger models in below the magical 120 g/km limit, few of our competitors can now match us when it comes to offering customers an extensive range of low emission cars.'

The duo uses the same 1.6-litre turbo diesel engine offering a spectacular 109bhp, but Volvo has added new technology introducing lower friction internal parts for robust efficiency.

However, the prices will be disclosed later this month, but are not expected to be bear a significant difference from the current models.