Volvo will not develop new diesel engines, focus on electrification



Diesel engines will soon be a thing of the past for Volvo Cars as the Swedish carmaker announced that they will not be producing new generation diesel powertrains. This highlights Volvo’s commitment to a clean and electrified future beyond the traditional combustion engine.

It is said that all new Volvo models introduced from 2019 onwards will only be available in either mild hybrid petrol, plug-in hybrid petrol or fully electric-powered. This product strategy will be present in the all-new S60 which is due this year, powered by a range of four-cylinder Drive-E petrol engines as well as two petrol plug-in hybrid versions. Mild-hybrid variants will join the line up in 2019.

Spyshot of the new Volvo S60

This should not come as a surprise as several European countries are already in motion to ban petrol and diesel engines. Volvo’s move to drop diesel engines is a step towards a cleaner future without internal combustion engines as it has been widely reported that diesel-powered cars are not cleaner than its petrol-powered counterparts despite offering superior mileage.

Volvo’s commitment towards electrification was underlined last month at the 2018 Beijing Auto Show where the company said that it aims for fully electric vehicles to make up 50 percent of its global sales by 2025. China, the world’s leading market for electrified will be the company’s stronghold, where Volvo’s first ever fully electric car will be made.

President and Chief Executive of Volvo Cars, Håkan Samuelsson commented, “We will phase out cars with only an internal combustion engine, with petrol hybrid versions as a transitional option as we move towards full electrification. The new S60 represents the next step in that commitment.”