RIP Volvo diesel cars: Last XC90 diesel rolls off production line

The last ever Volvo diesel-powered car, an XC90, has rolled off the production line at the company’s plant in Torslanda, Sweden, a key step in the company’s promise to produce only fully electric cars by 2030, and to sell EVs only in Australia from 2026.

Volvo’s switch from fossil fuels has been driven both by governments around the world tightening the regulations around tailpipe emissions and customer demand in response to the climate crisis and a desire for cleaner urban air.

As recently as 2019, the majority of Volvo cars sold in Europe were diesel powered. By the end of last year, sales of fully electric Volvo cars accounted for 16 per cent of all their cars sold globally and 26 per cent of Volvo’s European sales.

If plug-in hybrids are included into that total, total plug in sales at 58.5 per cent now make up the majority of Volvo’s 2023 European sales.

Whilst Volvo is in the vanguard it is not alone in phasing out ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicle production.

To cite just a few: Jaguar are set end production of all ICE powered cars by 2025 to become an electric-only brand. Rolls Royce plan to do the same by 2030, as do many others including Fiat.

Even Maserati – that doyen of the high performance V8 – plan to be fully electric by 2030. Renault also plan to be an electric-only brand in Europe by 2030.  VW also intend to end ICE production in Europe by 2033.

Outside of the European based brands – GM plans to end global ICE production by 2035, and whilst Ford have not set a date for the end of global ICE production, they have set 2030 as the date to be EV only in Europe.

So whilst the Volvo diesel car may have died at the relatively young age of 45, it will not be long before it is joined by many of its relatives.