Volvo to Only Produce Electric Vehicles, Hybrids After 2019

July 5, 2017—All Volvo models launched after 2019 will be electric or hybrids, according to The New York Times, "making it the first major traditional automaker to set a date for phasing out vehicles powered solely by the internal combustion engine."

Volvo said it will continue to produce pure combustion-engine vehicles from models launched before 2019. The company said five new models set to be launched in 2019 through 2021—three of them Volvos and two Polestar-branded—would all be fully electric.

Last month, Volvo said it would reshape its Polestar business into a standalone brand, focused on high-performance electric cars aimed at competing with Tesla and the Mercedes AMG division. Volvo has also said it will build its first fully electric car in China based on its architecture for smaller cars which will be available for sale in 2019 and exported globally.