Volvo Will Stop Selling Gas-Only Cars in 2019
 

Is this the start of the end of cars powered solely by internal combustion engines?

"All new cars launched by Volvo from 2019 onwards will be partially or completely battery-powered, in what the company called a “historic end” to building models that only have an internal combustion engine."

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/jul/05/volvo-cars-electric-hybrid-2019?CMP=share_btn_tw

No, it is just the beginning of the end for a boring brand which cannot decide who they want to be when they grow up.

My mom will only drive a Volvo, she is on her third one. I think when you look at the target market for Volvo, and that most of them are built like tanks (aka - heavy), switching to hybrids makes sense. I don't think a lot of people buy a Volvo for the performance. I have trouble imagining a world without combustions engines, I think they will become less common, but the alternatives cannot compete in a lot of different ways yet (range vs power, etc)

Wait, there's more... (and its not just boring Volvo!)

"France Wants To Ban The Sale Of All Petrol And Diesel Cars By 2040"

https://www.carthrottle.com/post/france-wants-to-ban-the-sale-of-all-petrol-and-diesel-cars-by-2040/

If you thought Volvo's were boring, just wait until they electrify a Citroen, they were bad enough when the burnt gas...............

France is dumb. Let the consumer and companies decide what to do. Volvo however isn't so dumb.

I would automatically take the new xc90 without consideration over any competition from Asia or American and would only even bother to compare it to the equivalent Mercedes and Porsche.

The top model is a twin charged hybrid. I4 both turbo and supercharged with electric drive as well. That's the sort of token engineering I'd want in a car one the same as an Audi v10 tdi or Bentley w12.

I'm proud of Volvo and think they've made a lot of good cars and are working out the few flaws that remain.

The only real shame here is that Volvo makes some of the very best v8s on the euro market ( really they're Yamaha engines).

But alas if they can get the weight down I'm all for electric integration if it's in the European sense vs the Prius approach. The latest panamera turbo S is the regular turbo is an e hybrid system and I'm sure it whips around the ring. I'll gladly take one in sport turismo trim lol.

There's been a misunderstanding ...

... Volvo has stated they will be selling hybrids--hybrids include internal combustion engines.

Journalists, you know

I think it makes sense given where a good deal of their major markets are headed (EU and China in particular).

It also allows them to package their cars more efficiently, and design platforms that don't have to accommodate large V6/V8 engines which could allow them to reduce weight.

I've experienced an XC90 T8. The drivetrain isn't seamless, but 400hp combined is nothing to sneeze at--and the fact you can do the school run on electric power is pretty nice too.

How do you like the Bolt? The Bolt and the Tesla Model 3 are going to help decide in the long run if this is the direction the market will go. Long term the internal combustion engine is on it's way out. I don't think it will disappear in my lifetime, which I am happy about because I enjoy a good sports car but going all electric has huge advantages. They just need to figure out batteries in term of it's storage capacity, charge time and cost and with that it will seal the deal on ICE going the way of the horse.

bye bye Volvo, all the owners here can go buy Honda Accords instead, see ya on the freeway

Volvo boring...hm. Just bought a 2011 s60 T6 awd a couple of months ago. Nothing to sneeze at, faster than my boxster in a straight line.

Ah, yes, newfangled electrified motorcars... using only the most bleeding-edge, new technologies!

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Volvo's high performance division, Polestar is no longer making the fantastic V90 Polestar. They will be total electric in the future.