Volvo commits to all-electric line-up from 2019

All new Volvos sold by dealers from 2019 will have an electric motor in a strategic move which the carmaker said will place electrification at the core of its future business.

“This is about the customer. 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,” said Håkan Samuelsson, president and chief executive of Volvo Cars.

The Geely-owned carmaker will launch five fully electric cars between 2019 and 2021, three of which will be Volvo models and two of which will be high-performance electrified cars from Polestar, Volvo’s performance car arm.

These cars will be supplemented by a range of petrol and diesel plug-in hybrid and standard hybrid 48-volt options on all models, representing one of the broadest electrified car offerings of any carmaker.

“This announcement marks the end of the solely combustion engine-powered car. Volvo Cars has stated that it plans to have sold a total of 1m electrified cars by 2025. When we said it we meant it. This is how we are going to do it,” said Samuelsson.

The decision also follows this month’s announcement that Volvo Cars will turn Polestar into a new separately branded electrified global high-performance car company.