Although they don’t currently have any fully electric cars on sale in the UK, Volvo have vowed that half of all the cars they sell worldwide by 2025 will be 100% electric.
After already pledging to only make ‘electrified’ versions of its models from 2019 onwards, Swedish car manufacturer Volvo has now said that half of all the cars it sells around the world will be fully electric by 2025.
Volvo currently sells 571,000 new cars worldwide each year, which means they are expecting to be selling 285,000 pure electric cars per year in seven years time – with 23,000 of them in the UK.
Volvo’s commitment to only make electric versions of their models from 2019 includes hybrid models, but they are looking to move even more into fully electric cars by 2025.
The Swedish car manufacturer sold a total of 46,139 new cars in the UK last year, it’s second most successful year in history. Its worldwide sales last year were at a record high of 571,577, so based on these figures more than 285,000 new Volvo all-electric cars will be sold in 2025.
Volvo – who are owned by Chinese group Geely – are fully committed to an electric future for cars, following the lead of the Chinese government’s plans to increase the sales of low-emission vehicles to 20% by 2025 – which works out as about seven million electric cars hitting the market per year from then on.
Government’s in Europe are also looking to encourage the sales of low-emission electric cars to meet ever-tightening air pollution laws – including the UK’s plan to stop the sale of petrol and diesel cars in 2040.
Håkan Samuelsson, president and CEO of Volvo cars, said at the Beijing Motor Show last week:
Last year we made a commitment to electrification in preparation for an era beyond the internal combustion engine.
Today we reinforce and expand that commitment in the world’s leading market for electrified cars. China’s electric future is Volvo Cars’ electric future.
Despite the pledge, considerable effort will be needed on Volvo’s part as they currently do not sell any fully electric car models in the UK. They currently have popular plug-in hybrid versions of the XC60 and XC90 SUVs, V60 and V90 estates and the Volvo S90 saloon. They also debuted the new plug-in hybrid version of the XC40 in Beijing last week.
As well as these, Volvo have other electric vehicle initiatives away from their main range including the recently announced Polestar sub-brand. Prices for the 592bhp Polestar 1 range start at £135,500 – and it is currently only being made in left-hand drive.
Volvo is expected to reveal two all-electric Polestar models next year – the Polestar 2 saloon and the Polestar 3 SUV – which, if they are similarly priced to the Polestar 1 will be out of reach for most car buyers.
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