Swedish car manufacturer Volvo has officially stopped producing diesel-engine cars, marking accelerating its pace to become a pure electric brand by 2030.
Volvo officially stops production of diesel engine cars and switches to electrification
On March 26, the last Volvo diesel car – a blue XC90 SUV with a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine – rolled off the assembly line at the Torslanda plant in Sweden. The car will be on display at the new Volvo Museum, which opens on April 14, and become a piece of history.
This also marks the end of Volvo’s 45-year relationship with diesel engines and makes Volvo the first large traditional car manufacturer to completely abandon diesel power. It is worth mentioning that most of the Volvo cars sold in the European market in 2019 are still diesel-powered, and in 2008, the diesel version of the XC90 model accounted for 95% of total sales.
Volvo said: “For many years, our diesel engines have stood for reliability and efficiency. They have made a huge contribution to us over the past decades. The success of diesel vehicles is also the cornerstone of Volvo’s transformation into a luxury brand. 1. Just five years ago, diesel engines were still the bread and butter of Volvo and most car manufacturers. In 2019, the majority of the cars we sold in Europe were diesel, and electric vehicles were just taking off. We We firmly believe that switching to pure electric drive is the right path, and we will go all out for this.”
Volvo plans to complete the electrification transformation of its entire range of models by 2030, and its factories will also be gradually transformed to adapt to the production of electric vehicles and battery packs. As early as last year’s Climate Week event in New York, Volvo announced that it would cease production of diesel powertrains in 2024.
It is noted that Volvo CEO Jim Rowan previously said: “Electric drive is our future” and emphasized that Volvo will “focus on creating a series of luxury pure electric vehicles that can meet customer expectations.”
It is worth mentioning that although diesel vehicle sales have continued to decline in recent years, the British market has recently seen a rebound trend. Diesel car sales rose by 12%, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reported in December.
In Europe, luxury brands accounted for 40% of diesel sales, up 10% from 2015. The Land Rover Defender is the best-selling diesel car on the UK market in 2023, and the car is one of the Volvo XC90’s main rivals.
Volvo recently launched the EX30 all-electric crossover and is about to launch the EX90 all-electric SUV as part of its comprehensive shift toward electrification.
