Luxury car brand Volvo has followed last year's aggressive EV sales target with a commitment to only launch electrified vehicles from 2019. The company hasn't totally given up on the combustion engine just yet, but has said that no future Volvos will be ICE only – announcing five new pure electric cars and giving the remainder of its range hybrid powertrains.
Volvo, a once Swedish brand that's been owned by China's Zhejiang Geely Holding Group since 2010, hasn't quite gone all electric like Smart, but has confirmed that every car it launches from 2019 will include an electric motor.
"This is about the customer, said the company's Håkan Samuelsson. "People increasingly demand electrified cars and we want to respond to our customers current and future needs. You can now pick and choose whichever electrified Volvo you wish."
The new pure battery-electric models will be introduced between 2019 and 2021, and will comprise three Volvo EVs and two vehicles from the company's performance arm, Polestar. No specifications have been released at this early stage. The remainder of Volvo's catalog will be made up of petrol and diesel plug-in hybrids and 48 volt "mild hybrid" options.
"This announcement marks the end of the solely combustion engine-powered car," said Samuelsson. "Volvo Cars has stated that it plans to have sold a total of one million electrified cars by 2025. When we said it we meant it. This is how we are going to do it."
The electrified powertrains are detailed in the video below.
Source: Volvo
