Volvo Ramps Up Electrification Plans

Volvo Car Group aims to top the 1-million mark in cumulative sales of electrified vehicles by 2025.

The carmaker launched its first such model in 2012 with a diesel-electric plug-in hybrid version of its V60 wagon. Volvo previously has said it expects electrified models to account for 10% of its annual global sales by 2020.

CEO Hakan Samuelsson describes the 1-million target as “deliberately ambitious.” But he says Volvo wants to be at the forefront of the industry’s shift to electrified vehicles.

Toyota, the global leader in hybrid sales, has sold more than 8 million hybrids since launching the Prius in 1997. The company has surpassed the 1-million-per-year mark three times.

As part of its plan, Volvo will offer at least two hybrid versions of every model and introduce an all-electric car in 2019.

The effort kicks off with the new plug-in hybrid version of the carmaker’s XC90 T8 large crossover vehicle, which teams a turbo/supercharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine with an 80-hp electric motor and a 9.2-kWH lithium-ion battery. The combination produces 400 hp, 472 lb-ft of torque and a full-electric driving range of 17 miles.

A twin-engine plug-in hybrid variant of the upcoming S90 sedan also is planned. In addition, Volvo notes that its new Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) and Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) platforms can incorporate both hybrid and fully electric models.