In a sign that vehicle makers may be reacting to the current uncertainties over prospects for diesel engined cars in the wake of the VW emissions scandal, Volvo Cars is putting renewed emphasis on its electrification plans.
As part of those plans it the Geely-owned brand said a fully electric car is planned for launch by 2019.
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In a statement it said it has announced one of the automotive industry’s “most comprehensive electrification strategies in which plug-in hybrids will be introduced across its entire range”. The company said it will develop an entirely new range of electrified smaller cars and build a fully electric car for sale by 2019.
As part of this new strategy, the Swedish car company said it expects electrified vehicles to account for up to “10% of total car sales in the medium term”.
The first element of the new electrification strategy involves the introduction of plug-in hybrid versions of its 90 series and 60 series larger cars, based on the company’s new Scalable Product Architecture. This process has already begun with the launch of the T8 Twin Engine All-Wheel Drive plug-in hybrid version of its new XC90 SUV and will continue with plug-in hybrid versions of the new S90 premium sedan and other forthcoming models.
Volvo Cars will also broaden the range of plug-in hybrid cars it offers with the introduction of a new front-wheel drive Twin Engine variant.
Håkan Samuelsson, President and CEO of Volvo Cars, said: “We believe that the time has come for electrified cars to cease being a niche technology and enter the mainstream. We are confident that by 2020, 10 per cent of Volvo’s global sales will be electrified cars.”
VCC's original media release contained this quote, attributed to Håkan Samuelsson: "We are confident that in two years’ time, 10 per cent of Volvo’s global sales will be electrified cars.” The company has since issued a corrected press release, with the timeframe of two years becoming "by 2020". The original paragraph was therefore replaced.
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