Vested diesel badging, including the range-topping D5, will become obsolete in 2024.
Having announced its eschewing of diesel engines as far back as 2017, Volvo has now confirmed that its last ever oil-burning vehicle roll off of the production line in late 2024.
“Electric powertrains are our future, and superior to combustion engines: they generate less noise, less vibration, less servicing costs for our customers and zero tailpipe emissions,” CEO Jim Rowan said in a statement after the wrapping-up of the New York Climate Week in the United States on Tuesday (19 September).
“We’re fully focused on creating a broad portfolio of premium, fully electric cars that deliver on everything our customers expect from a Volvo − and are a key part of our response to climate change.”
Six years ago, then Volvo CEO, Håkan Samuelsson, remarked that the up-keep of diesel engines and ever tightening emissions regulations have made it almost impossible for the Swedish brand to continue producing oil-burners for its vehicles.
ALSO READ: Every new Volvo in South Africa now features some form of electrification
“From today’s perspective, we will not develop any more new-generation diesel engines. In this area, there should also be space for us, with high quality and attractive design,” Samuelsson said of electric cars,” Samuelsson told Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung at the time.
In a follow-up with Britain’s Auto Express a later year on the sidelines of the opening of the new Charleston, South Carolina plant in the United States that currently produces the S60, Samuelsson said, “We have to prioritise – we cannot do everything.
“If we want to be faster in electrification, we can’t say yes to everything. We are not planning to have a diesel alternative in any new cars.”
Subsequent to this, Chief Technology Officer Henrik Green confirmed in a statement two years ago that Volvo will become fully electric by 2030 with the aim of achieving a 50/50 sales split between hybrid and fully electric vehicles by 2025.
At present, diesel propulsion continues to be limited to select markets in Europe, with Reuters reporting it accounting for 8.9% of new vehicle sales in Sweden last year.
Even more severe is the drop in overall vehicle sales on the Old Continent from 50% in 2025, to a mere 14% since July this year, according to the publication.
“There is no long-term future for cars with an internal combustion engine. We are firmly committed to becoming an electric-only car maker and the transition should happen by 2030.
“It will allow us to meet the expectations of our customers and be a part of the solution when it comes to fighting climate change,” Green said in the mentioned statement.
In South Africa, the most recent facelift to the XC40 in October last year saw the departure of all diesel engines and introduction or consolidation of either mild-hybrid or plug-in hybrid versions of the 1.5 and 2.0-litre Drive-E petrol engines that has featured in Volvo’s line-up since the premiere of the current XC90 in 2014.
Equally, the Chinese-owned marque’s range of electric vehicles has been expanding with the introduction being the EX30 that will go on-sale next year priced at under R1-million.
Prior to the EX30, the P8 and P6 Recharge versions of the XC40 sold-out quick session, four days and 24 hours respectively, while the coupe-styled C40 Recharge’s initial batch of 50 units are also being snapped quickly following the opening of order books in February.
“With local demand for electrified vehicles growing steadily, this move (introduction of the XC40 P6 and P8 Recharge), brings us in line with Volvo’s global ambition of transforming into a fully electric car company by 2030,” Volvo Car South Africa Managing Director Greg Maruszewski said last year.
Along with the mentioned models, the indirect successor to the XC90, the al-electric EX90, is expected to come South Africa at some stage next year or in 2025 as an electric alternative due to the former remaining in production.
For now, no further details regarding an official date-of-reveal is known.
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