The Volvo Diesel Is a Thing of the Past as EVs Steer the Brand’s Future
Volvo is serious about electrification. So much so that the brand just hit a milestone in eliminating its carbon footprint. The Volvo diesel engine is no more in the automaker’s cars as its final diesel-powered XC90 SUV rolled off the assembly line and into the history books as Volvo leans into an EV-only lineup.
Volvo made its last diesel car this week, marking the end of nearly a half century of sensible diesel vehicles
At Volvo’s Gothenburg plant in Southwest Sweden, autoworkers rolled out another XC90 SUV. However, this wasn’t your typical XC90; it was the last Volvo diesel the brand will produce as it continues its electrification campaign.
See, the Swedish manufacturer committed to an all-electric lineup by 2030. To accomplish such a feat, the brand is cutting out its hydrocarbon-burning engines. This includes the tenured Volvo diesel lineup. It’s a bittersweet move; everyone remembers the characteristic chug of a 200 Series Volvo Wagon making its way through a tank of diesel.
However, Volvo, and Volvo’s Chinese parent company, Geely, have their eyes set on an all-electric Volvo by the decade’s end. As such, the XC90 that rolled off the line on Tuesday was the last of the brand’s diesel cars. In a celebratory manner, Volvo sent the blue XC90 to the brand’s incipient Gothenburg museum, per Yahoo! Finance.
It’s almost a commentary: sending the last of the brand’s decades-long span of diesel vehicles straight to a museum. A relic of a bygone era. However, time marches on, as does the XC90. Consequently, Volvo replaced the outgoing XC90 with an EV, the EX90 SUV.
Volvo had this to say of its diesel breakup on the European continent, “Today, most of our sales on the Continent are electrified cars. The figures speak for themselves, underscoring that the all-electric direction we’re now heading towards is the right one to take, and we do so with our flag held high. While our future indeed is fully electric, our mixed portfolio includes some excellent plug-in hybrid and mild-hybrid models, which will act as a perfect bridge towards that future.”
