Volvo wants all its cars to feature an electric motor from 2019

Volvo Cars has announced that every new Volvo launched from 2019 onwards will feature 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,” says Håkan Samuelsson, President and CEO. “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 new portfolio of electrified cars across its model range, embracing fully electric cars, plug-in hybrid cars and mild hybrid cars.

First, it will launch five new 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 brand. Full details of these models will be announced at a later date.

Then, these five cars will be supplemented by a range of petrol and diesel plug-in hybrid and mild hybrid (48 volt) derivatives in all model ranges, representing one of the broadest electrified car offerings of any car maker.

This means that moving forward, there will be no Volvo cars which do not feature an electric motor, as pure ICE cars are gradually phased out and replaced by ICE cars that are enhanced with electrified drivetrains.

“This announcement marks the end of the solely combustion engine-powered car,” continues 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 announcement underlines Volvo Cars’ commitment to minimising 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 the June announcement that Volvo Cars will turn Polestar into a new separately-branded electrified high-performance car company. Thomas Ingenlath, Senior Vice President Design at Volvo Cars, will lead Polestar as Chief Executive Officer.