Chronicle Editor
Volvo Cars has produced its last diesel model as it heads towards becoming an all-electric brand by 2030.
The Swedish car-maker’s final diesel-powered car is an XC90 luxury SUV, which rolled off the production line in Torslanda, Sweden, earlier this week. Powered by a 2,0l turbo diesel engine, the car will be displayed at a Volvo museum in Gothenburg.
The 97-year-old brand, majority owned by China’s Geely, produced its first diesel car, the 244 GL D6, in 1979. Diesel was once the mainstay of Volvo’s range, accounting for most of its cars sold in Europe as recently as 2019. However, in 2022 they made up just 8,9pc of the brand’s sales.
Volvo has been on an aggressive transition to electrified powertrains since 2017, when former CEO Hakan Samuelsson announced it would stop further development on diesels at a time when nearly half of all new cars sold in Europe were equipped with the powertrain. Volvo has launched several hybrid and fully electric models in recent years, including the EX30 which arrived in South Africa last month as the brand’s most affordable electric vehicle (EV).
Volvo is ending diesel production just as global demand for EVs is cooling, though it will still make cars with petrol engines. Since the infamous “dieselgate” scandal at the VW Group in 2015, diesel sales in Europe have declined. The share of diesel cars sold in Europe dropped to about 13,6pc last year, beaten for the first time by EVs, which recorded a 14,6pc market share. — Online
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter