Volvo will build only electric cars by 2030, sold only online, announced Tuesday the Swedish manufacturer, whose CEO confirmed to AFP that half of the target will be reached in four years.
“
All our electric vehicles will only be sold on the internet,
” Volvo Cars CEO Håkan Samuelsson told AFP on the sidelines of a press conference.
“
From 2025, half of our cars will be electric, and half of our sales will be online
”.
Read also: Electric car sales doubled in Europe in 2020
Volvo, a subsidiary of the Chinese group Geely, will accelerate the electrification of its models and plans to "
withdraw from the catalog all its combustion models, including hybrids,
" said the high-end manufacturer in a press release.
Volvo is due to present its second 100% electric model on Tuesday, the
C40
“
coupe
”
SUV
, and is preparing a small electric model designed for European roads.
"Simplify the menu"
The manufacturer also wants to revolutionize its sales channels.
“
People can be irritated by the lack of price transparency.
The buying process is still too complicated, we will simplify the menu
”, with fixed prices in each country, continued Håkan Samuelsson.
“
Instead of thousands of options, you'll have some sort of daily special with great combinations that our customers can choose from, with fast delivery.
But we will also be able to build cars à la carte,
”said the CEO of Volvo.
The brand will transform its “
Care by Volvo
”
subscription service
into a vehicle ordering platform, following the example of Tesla but also of its own sports brand, Polestar.
Volvo has weathered a dramatic 2020 for the automotive industry well, with overall sales falling 6% to 661,713 vehicles.
The automaker, which sells nearly 75% of SUVs with its XC40 and XC60 models, saw sales decline in Europe but grew in China and North America.
The manufacturer has seen sales of plug-in hybrids explode, driven by government bonuses: they already represented 29% of the brand's deliveries in Europe in 2020.
