It is not at all strange for Volvo to introduce purely electric cars in a country within a few years, as the Swedish original equipment manufacturer launched an electric offensive very quickly. At the same time, Australia lags far behind the Western world in the share of electric cars, so this is a surprising decision. As mentioned by autopro.hu, In Australia, only 2% of new car sales are electric carsCompared to 17% in the EU or 15% in the UK.
Volvo Cars wants to become a world-class purely electric manufacturer by 2030, compared to this, the transition in Australia will happen four years earlier, in 2026. Incidentally, Volvo has just introduced the all-electric C40 Recharge in Australia, which is the second electric model in country after reloading the already available XC40.
Three new models are also coming
Three more Volvo electric models are expected in Australia by 2026: the EX90, a compact electric SUV and a yet-to-be-named electric sedan. Former CEO Håkan Samuelsson has already confirmed that Volvo is working on a compact electric SUV, which should be based on the Geely SEA platform, so it probably won’t be very different technically from the Smart #1.
In connection with this model, the name XC20 originated, but the Australian media mentioned the name EX30 in connection with the current announcement (probably referring to the EX90).
Volvo Australia aims to sell 20,000 all-electric cars annually in the future. To support sales and service, all Volvo dealers in Australia must have a DC charger with a minimum output of 75 kW.
However, the transition does not appear to be a smooth one, at least based on the Drive portal report, Elective.com writes that some dealers have asked the company to sell gasoline and electric cars in parallel for as long as possible. “We need as many cars as possible, so why say no to petrol cars if people still want to buy them?” – They quote a merchant who asked not to be named.
Volvo did this elsewhere
In Europe, Volvo Cars has already stopped selling cars equipped with a purely internal combustion engine in two countries: in Norway and Denmark, the manufacturer now offers only electric cars and plug-in hybrids.
Volvo Australia also confirmed the decision: “We won’t wait until 2030,” Volvo Car Australia CEO Stephen Connor said at a press conference.
