Want a new Volvo? Then it will have to be an SUV.
That’s because the Swedish manufacturer has culled all saloon and estate models from its UK line-up with immediate effect.
With capacious estate cars being the brand’s bread and butter for generations gone by, the decision is likely to rile some Volvo enthusiasts.
The decision has been made due to the company wanting to ‘prioritise fully electric cars’, the increased demand for larger SUV models and shrinking appetite for the more traditional vehicle segments.
Volvo now sells only SUV models in the UK as it has culled its saloon and estate cars due to a lack of demand, it says
In a statement issued to This is Money, Volvo said: ‘We continue to rapidly transform our product offer, which means not only moving towards full electrification, but also shifting to new platforms and technologies across all our cars.
‘We will naturally need to evolve and consolidate our line-up as we prioritise fully electric cars and make this technological transition.
‘As a result, we have removed further models from the UK line-up. These include the S60, V60 and V90.’
Volvo has earmarked 2025 for half of its global car sales to be EVs with the intention of selling only electric models by 2030 – the Government’s cut-off date for the sale of new petrol and diesel passenger cars and vans.
The company added: ‘Demand for our existing SUV line-up continues to grow, while interest in our forthcoming fully electric EX30 and EX90 models is strong.
‘Meanwhile, appetite for our saloon and estate models has fallen to very low levels in the UK, which has led to our decision to remove these models from sale in the UK.’
The Volvo S60 saloon will no longer be sold in UK showrooms due to a lack of demand for this segment of vehicle
Volvo has also culled the practical V60 estate, which recently received a facelift
Volvo’s biggest estate model, the V90 (pictured), has also been sacrificed as the Swedish brand looks to prioritise SUVs and electric vehicles
Volvo’s UK line-up now consists of the XC40 and Volvo C40 Recharge, while the mid-sized XC60 fills the gap between them and its flagship XC90 seven seater
A spokesman for the brand said the decision is just for the UK market, with saloon and estate models remaining in global production and being offered to customers in showrooms.
The Swedish brand is the sixteenth most popular car maker in Britain in 2023 based on new vehicle sales in the first six months of the year.
Some 24,877 Volvos have entered our roads between January and the end of June, which is more than other mainstream marques including Mini, Renault, Mazda, Seat, Citroen, Dacia and Honda.
But Volvo says that currently less than 10 per cent of UK sales are represented by saloon and estate models.
‘The vast majority of our customers opt for an SUV,’ the spokesman added.
‘The XC40, XC60 and XC90 all sit in the top three positions in their respective segments when it comes to UK sales.’
While Volvo will stop offering saloons and estates to UK drivers for the immediate future, it says motorists still interested in these vehicles can still find available stock in the ‘shop’ section of its website.
When asked if non-SUV models could return to showrooms as part of Volvos electrification plans, Volvo told us: ‘We do not comment on future products, but in the coming years we will continue to roll out a completely new family of fully electric models, which support the evolving needs of our consumers.
‘This is to underpin our ambition to sell 50 per cent fully electric cars by mid-decade and only pure electric models by 2030.’
With all saloons and estates now removed from dealerships, Volvo’s UK line-up now consists of the XC40 and Volvo C40 Recharge, while the mid-sized XC60 fills the gap between them and its flagship XC90 seven seater.
The new EX30 crossover will land later this year, followed by the seven-seat EX90 in 2024.
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