LONDON, March 2 (Reuters) – Volvo’s full auto offering will be fully electric by 2030, the Chinese company said Tuesday. .
“I am completely convinced that there will be no customers who really want to stick with a gasoline engine,” Volvo Chief Executive Håkan Samuelsson told reporters when asked about future demand for electric vehicles. “We are convinced that an electric car is more attractive to customers.”
The Swedish automaker said 50% of its global sales should be all-electric cars by 2025 and the other half hybrid models.
Owned by Hangzhou-based Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, Volvo said it will launch a new family of electric cars in the coming years, all of which will be sold online only. Volvo will unveil its second all-electric model, the C40, later on Tuesday.
Samuelsson said Volvo will include wireless upgrades and fixes for its new electric models – an approach developed by electric carmaker Tesla Inc.
Car manufacturers are rushing to switch to zero-emission models as they face CO2 emissions targets in Europe and China, and an impending ban on fossil fuel vehicles in some countries.
Last month, Ford Motor Co said its lineup in Europe will be fully electric by 2030, while Tata Motors unit Jaguar Land Rover said its luxury Jaguar brand will be fully electric by 2025 and the automaker will have electric models of its entire range. line will launch. by 2030.
And last November, luxury carmaker Bentley, owned by Germany’s Volkswagen, said its models will all be electric by 2030.
Electrification is expensive for car manufacturers and as electric vehicles have fewer moving parts, employment in the automotive industry is expected to shrink.
Last week, the head of Daimler AG’s DE> truck division said electric driving will cost thousands of jobs in the company’s powertrain factories in Germany.
Volvo said it will invest heavily in online sales channels to radically reduce the complexity of its model range and provide customers with transparent pricing.
The automaker’s global network of 2,400 traditional brick-and-mortar dealers remains open to service vehicles and to assist customers in placing orders online.
Via volvocars.com, customers can choose from a simplified range of preconfigured electric Volvos for fast delivery, but they can still order tailor-made models. (Reporting by Nick Carey; edited by Barbara Lewis)