Volvo has made no secret that it's embracing electrification as a major part of its future, and now, it's making its electric ambitions abundantly clear. The Swedish automaker announced today that every new Volvo launched from 2019 will be electrified in some capacity.
This means that soon, every car Volvo sells will have an electric motor as part of the drivetrain—either as a mild hybrid with a 48-volt electrical system, a plug-in hybrid, or as an all-electric vehicle. Volvo makes no bones about the fact that its bidding internal combustion farewell.
"This announcement marks the end of the solely combustion engine-powered car," said Volvo CEO Håkan Samuelsson in a statement. "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."
Volvo plans on launching five new all-electric models between 2019 and 2021–three will be sold as Volvos, while the others will wear Polestar branding. Last month, Volvo announced that it's spinning off Polestar to be its own separate brand for all-electric performance cars.
Automotive News reports that Volvo expects that it will stop selling cars relying solely on internal combustion power between 2023 and 2025. Additionally, Volvo confirmed that it's not developing a new family of internal-combustion engines either.
Many automakers will soon begin offering 48-volt mild hybrids, but Volvo seems more ready to phase out internal combustion entirely. Now, it's just a question of when every future Volvo will be all-electric.
A car enthusiast since childhood, Chris Perkins served as Road & Track's engineering nerd and Porsche apologist.
