Volvo Flicks The Switch – All Models To Have Electric Motors From 2019

Volvo is the first mainstream carmaker to ‘flick the switch’, declaring all new models will feature some sort of electrification from 2019.

For customers, that means many new models will come with a floor full of batteries, offering some form of either hybrid or full-electric powerplants as Volvo steps into the 2020s and petrol- or diesel-only engines are phased out. 

While its current Drive-E engines have only been with us for a few years, Volvo has already hinted that it is keen to move away from diesel, and this week’s announcement arguably supports that position.

And while Volvo makes no mention of the manual transmission with this announement, a world of models that must feature an electric motor under an all-encompassing plan might spell the beginning of the end for three-pedal Volvos (already a reality in Australia).

“This is about the customer,” Volvo CEO Håkan Samuelsson said.

“People increasingly demand electrified cars and we want to respond to our customers’ current and future needs. You can now pick and choose whichever electrified Volvo you wish.”

Hybrids