Volvo Plans To Build Fully Electric Car By 2019

Swedish automaker Volvo has unveiled a new compact car design for 2017 and has announced its plans to build a fully electric model by 2019, as a continuation of its total brand overhaul.

Volvo’s new Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) will be similar in design and construction to the Scalable Platform Architecture (SPA) that underpins its XC90 and the upcoming S90 large sedan, but for a range of smaller vehicles that are due to begin arriving in 2017. These new models will share powertrains (conventional and plug-in hybrid) with their larger counterparts, as well as climate, data and safety systems, all of which should streamline development time and cost for the automaker’s revitalization.

“The flexibility of CMA liberates Volvo’s engineers and designers, allowing them to devise and introduce a wide range of new and alluring features whilst at the same time improving drivability, offering world-class safety features and connected car technologies,” said Peter Mertens, senior vice president of Volvo research and development.

The automaker’s announcement paints a clearer picture of what we can expect from Volvo’s complete replacement of every vehicle in its lineup over the next four years, beginning with this year’s launch of the new XC90 luxury SUV. The company expects to emerge from its rebirth as a true luxury brand and to increase its global sales volume to 800,000 vehicles annually. To provide context, in 2014, the automaker reported sales of 465,866.

Although Volvo hasn’t specifically outlined which vehicles will utilize the compact architecture, it is likely to include the new and hotly contested arena of B-segment SUVs, or mini-SUVs. The new entrant will probably be a compact crossover rolling out in 2017 to compete with the likes of the BMW X1, Mazda CX-3, Mercedes-Benz GLA, and others. Subsequently, Volvo will most likely follow-up with a small hatchback or sedan model to replace the C30, which was discontinued in 2013, thereby leaving a gap at the bottom of the lineup.

The Swedish automaker also announced its global electrification plans, explaining that customers can expect to see more implementations of the T8 Twin Engine All-Wheel Drive plug-in hybrid system for both larger SPA and compact CMA models, as well as a less expensive front-wheel variant of the Twin Engine hybrid system.

The company also plans to release a fully electric vehicle by 2019, although details regarding what class the EV will occupy were not disclosed. “We believe that the time has come for electrified cars to cease being a niche technology and enter the mainstream,” said HÃ¥kan Samuelsson, president and chief executive of Volvo. “We are confident that in two years’ time, 10 percent of Volvo’s global sales will be electrified cars.”

Although the automaker didn’t provide a lot of information about its EV plans, it’s expected that Volvo will reveal more details about its electrification goals in the near future.