Every other new Volvo will be all-electric by 2025

This time, the Swedish firm is clear – it’s committing to 50 percent EV sales in less than 7 years

Volvo XC40 PHEVVolvo caused widespread confusion last year when it made a commitment that all its new cars would be ‘electric’ by 2019. Hiding behind the many mainstream headlines was the fact this included plug-in hybrid cars. Really, Volvo meant either electric or electrified cars.

Now, it’s decided to be clearer in its statement. At the 2018 Beijing Auto Show, it’s announced that 50 percent of its new cars will be fully electric by 2025 – and just in case we’re in any doubt, Volvo Cars president and CEO Hakan Samuelsson makes things clear.

“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.”

Volvo’s making the announcement in China because of the country’s significant commitment to electric cars. Zero-emissions models are part of its solution to air quality problems – and the Chinese government wants ‘new energy’ vehicles to make up 20 percent of total new car sales by 2025.

Forecasts suggest that equates to seven million cars a year.

China is already Volvo’s biggest global market, beating the US, and first-quarter figures this year are up 23.3 percent. Last year, Volvo topped a whopping 100,000 sales in China alone.

That’s why it chose China to launch its new Polestar performance brand – which, once the launch Polestar 1 plug-in hybrid car is launched, has itself committed to a fully-electric range of cars.

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Richard Aucock
Richard Aucockhttps://www.richardaucock.co.uk/
Richard is director at Motoring Research. He has been with us since 2001, and has been a motoring journalist even longer. He won the IMCO Motoring Writer of the Future Award in 1996 and the acclaimed Sir William Lyons Award in 1998. Both awards are run by the Guild of Motoring Writers and Richard is currently vice chair of the world's largest organisation for automotive media professionals. Richard is also a juror and Steering Committee director for World Car Awards and the UK juror for the AUTOBEST awards.

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