Sweden’s Volvo Car Corp. said on Thursday that it will offer plug-in hybrid versions of all its upcoming models and will build an all-electric car for sale by 2019, as the Volkswagen emissions scandal takes the shine off diesel engines.
“We believe that the time has come for electrified cars to cease being a niche technology and enter the mainstream,” said Hakan Samuelsson, chief executive of Volvo Cars, in a statement. The company said it expects electrified cars to make up 10% of its global sales by 2020.
The Swedish brand is announcing its commitment to electrification following German competitor Volkswagen’s admission last month to using software in some of its diesel-powered cars to beat emissions tests. Further details of Volvo’s planned all-electric model will be released at a later date, the company said.
Volvo’s plug-in hybrid offering is currently limited to two versions of its V60 model in Europe and its S60L model in China and sales of these vehicles make up between 1.5% and 2% of its global sales.
The car maker, which has committed to replacing its entire line-up in the next four years, said a first step in its “electrification strategy” will involve the introduction of plug-in hybrid version of its 90 and 60 series, a process that has already begun with a hybrid version of its newly launched XC90 SUV.
