Volvo Car AB produced its last automobile with a diesel engine, ending an era for the manufacturer that plans to only make electric vehicles by 2030.
The XC90 sport utility vehicle rolled off the line at the Torslanda plant in Sweden. Volvo Car is phasing out the technology just as global demand for electric vehicles is cooling, though it’ll still make cars with gasoline engines.
“We are quite confident that we have very good customer offers even without the diesel,” Erik Severinson, a Volvo Car executive in charge of new cars and operations strategy, said in an interview.
Other automakers have been strategically noncommittal about when they expect to phase out combustion engines, and some have backtracked on EV targets. Mercedes-Benz Group AG pushed back its sales forecast for the technology, and now expects battery-powered vehicles to be stuck at less than half of its sales for longer than anticipated. Late last year, Audi said it’s paring back its EV rollout.
Sourse: Bloomberg
Image: Volvo Car AB/Bloomberg