Volvo joins race to quit petrol and diesel cars
Volvo has this morning announced that it will switch to an all-electric range by the end of the decade.
The Swedish automaker joins a host of other car makers in announcing a sweeping transition away from petrol and diesel vehicles in recent months.
It said that 50 per cent of its global sales should be fully-electric cars by 2025 and the other half hybrid models.
The Geely-owned firm said that it would release a full range of all-electric cars in the coming year, with its second such model, the C40, to be unveiled later today.
Volvo chief executive Håkan Samuelsson said: “I am totally convinced there will be no customers who really want to stay with a petrol engine. We are convinced that an electric car is more attractive for customers.”
Carmakers have been speeding up plans to transition away from the combustion engine due to increasing pressure from the world’s government
The UK, for example, will ban the sale of all new petrol and diesel cars by 2030, with a ban on hybrids to follow by 2035.
Last month, Ford Motor said its lineup in Europe will be fully electric by 2030, while Tata Motors subsidiary Jaguar Land Rover said its luxury Jaguar brand will be entirely electric by 2025 and the carmaker will launch electric models of its entire line-up by 2030.
And last November, luxury carmaker Bentley, owned by Germany’s Volkswagen, said its models would be all electric by 2030.