Volvo Cars has announced that every Volvo it launches from 2019 will have
an electric motor, marking the historic end of cars that only have an
internal combustion engine (ICE) and placing electrification at the
core of its future business.
The
announcement represents one of the most significant moves by any car
maker to embrace electrification and highlights how over a century
after the invention of the internal combustion engine electrification
is paving the way for a new chapter in automotive history.
“This
is about the customer,” said Håkan Samuelsson, president and chief
executive. “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.”
Volvo
Cars will introduce a portfolio of electrified cars across its model
range, embracing fully electric cars, plug in hybrid cars and mild
hybrid cars.
It
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 Cars’ performance car arm. Full
details of these models will be announced at a later date.
These
five cars will be supplemented by a range of petrol and diesel plug in
hybrid and mild hybrid 48 volt options on all models, representing one
of the broadest electrified car offerings of any car maker.
This
means that there will in future be no Volvo cars without an electric
motor, as pure ICE cars are gradually phased out and replaced by ICE
cars that are enhanced with electrified options.
“This
announcement marks the end of the solely combustion engine-powered
car,” said Mr. Samuelsson. “Volvo Cars has stated that it plans to have
sold a total of 1 million electrified cars by 2025. When we said it we meant
it. This is how we are going to do it.”
The
announcement underlines Volvo Cars’ commitment to minimizing its
environmental impact and making the cities of the future cleaner. Volvo
Cars is focused on reducing the carbon emissions of both its products
as well as its operations. It aims to have climate neutral
manufacturing operations by 2025.
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. Thomas Ingenlath, Senior Vice President
Design at Volvo Cars, will lead Polestar as Chief Executive Officer.