Volvo focusing on electrification, not entering new segments
The company\'s model offensive is nearly done.
Volvo embarked on a model offensive of unprecedented proportions at the turn of the current decade. It has renewed nearly its entire line-up, so it's now turning its attention to electrification.
The company will not launch an all-new model between now and 2020, British magazine Autocar reports. It will replace some of its models, like the S60 and the V40 (a Golf-sized hatchback not sold in America), but it won't add nameplates to its portfolio.
"It would be nice to have a convertible or a coupe. It's the cream on the cake but you don't need it to survive," Lex Kerssemarkers, Volvo's head of the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region told the magazine. "We cover 98% of the market with our current portfolio. Our electrification goals show we are taking it very seriously and we are rapidly expanding our electrified powertrains," he added.
Volvo is hard at work on developing its first electric car, which won't hit showrooms until 2020. It will compete in the same segment as the Chevrolet Bolt and the Tesla Model 3, according to earlier reports, and it will share its modular CMA platform with the XC40. Production will take place in China.
Volvo gave us an early look at the S60 in March. We haven't gotten a glimpse at the V40 yet, but Kerssemakers stated we shouldn't expect a drastic transformation.