Volvo announced today that come 2019, every car it sells will be powered at least in part by electricity.
The Swedish automaker says the move to place "electrification at the core of its business" will mark "the historic end of cars that only have an internal combustion engine."
Between 2019 and 2021, Volvo plans to introduce five fully-electric models: three will be branded as Volvos, with two more to be sold under the Polestar performance banner. The ultimate goal, says Volvo, is to transition the company to selling nothing but battery electric, plug-in hybrid and mild hybrid vehicles.
Today's news follows a mid-June proclamation that the company's Polestar performance division would gain some autonomy from Volvo with the aim of turning it into a specialist in speedy electric and hybrid cars. The move toward electrification is a response to Volvo's feeling that diesel's day is done and that battery power is the way forward for environmentally sustainable transportation.
At the moment, the 2018 Volvo XC60 and 2018 Volvo XC90 crossovers are available with a 400-hp plug-in hybrid powertrain.
