Dealers were wonderfully surprised.
Volvo was one of the first automakers to declare its plans to become an all-electric automaker. In this case, the Swedish brand aims to do so by 2030 - a full five years before GM intends to do so. It's not wasting any time to achieve that goal. This past week, per Automotive News, Volvo held its annual dealership conference, this year in Miami, which included around 800 Volvo retailers from across North America and other nearby regions. Also in attendance were a number of key Volvo executives. Dealers are made aware of an automaker's plans well before the general public, and that's exactly what happened here.
Don't expect Volvo to have an official press release regarding this information. Company executives told their audience about plans to launch seven new and redesigned electrified models in the coming few years.
More precisely, there will be five battery electrics and two plug-in hybrids. The pure EVs will consist of small and large crossovers, such as the next-generation XC90, along with a sedan and two wagon-like sporty models executives described as "activity vehicles." Attendees were also shown the new S90 and XC90. One dealer, who wished to remain anonymous, proclaimed Volvo is "nailing" the future lineup.
Other new design elements anonymous sources are talking about include a modern interpretation of the brand's lighting design, taken directly from mythical superhero Thor's Hammer. As previously reported, a new three-row EV crossover will look awfully like the Concept Recharge design study.
That'll be the first new EV to go on sale, currently planned for next year. Volvo hopes to sell around 20,000 examples in its first model year. The next EV should arrive in 2025 and it'll fill the size slot between the XC60 and XC90. The XC60 will also soon be redesigned and there'll be a new small crossover below the XC40. Perhaps best of all, at least for the US, these new EVs will be assembled at Volvo's South Carolina plant. It's currently not running anywhere near its 150,000-unit annual production capacity. The new models will change that.
But before production begins, a hiring spree will get underway. Polestar, Volvo's close corporate cousin, will also build a new model there, an EV crossover aimed directly at the Porsche Cayenne.
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