Volvo to become electric/hybrid-only by 2019

All car manufacturers are now part of a rat-race to go green. As countries like Norway, France, and Germany have vowed to eliminate the use of fossil fuel-powered cars in the next few decades, European carmakers have no option but to act accordingly. Volvo has recently announced that they will only sell hybrids and electric vehicles from 2019, stopping the production of the petrol-only and diesel cars altogether.

Volvo’s move is a drastic one, as their deadline for pulling the plug on the IC-engined cars is less than 2 years away. From 2019, Volvo promises that their lineup will only have EVs, plug-in hybrid diesels and petrols, along with a few advanced 48-volt mild hybrid vehicles. This move will help the Swedish manufacturer to achieve their goal of selling one million electrified cars by 2025.

As an initiation of the plan, Volvo will release five full EVs between 2019 and 2021. Two of these models will come from Volvo’s performance division, Polestar. Volvo firmly believes that electric cars will pave the way for another chapter in automotive history, just like what IC engines did a century ago.

Volvo’s current lineup is also littered with a few electrified models like the T8 Twin Engine hybrid-powered S90, V90, XC60 and XC90. These cars sport a 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine paired to an electric motor and a set of batteries. This powertrain provides an electric-only range of only 48 km.

With their entire GCC line-up still focused on boosted petrol engines, it remains to be seen how the brand carries on in the tough GCC market as a niche player. Our all-time favourite Swede, the Volvo V60 Polestar with the 3.0-litre motor, has already been downsized to a 2.0-litre (with more power and less torque), and will likely be hybridised in its next iteration.