Volvo Vehicles’ high govt has set an excellent more durable 2021 gross sales goal for the automaker’s Recharge line of electrified vehicles after the automaker narrowly missed his 2020 purpose.
“A couple of quarter of our gross sales globally ought to be Recharge this 12 months,” CEO Hakan Samuelsson advised Automotive Information Europe.
The Recharge household of plug-in hybrids and full-electric vehicles accounted for 17 % of Volvo’s 2020 international quantity, up from 6.5 % in 2019 however nonetheless under the 20 % goal set by Samuelsson, who envisions Volvo being an electric-only brand by 2030.
He’s bullish as a result of 19 % of Volvo’s international gross sales within the second-half of 2020 had been Recharge fashions. Europe led the way in which with Recharge fashions accounting for 36 % of Volvo’s general gross sales within the second half and 31 % for the complete 12 months.
“I am fairly happy with the event we’re seeing,” Samuelsson stated. “Recharge gross sales will proceed to develop.”
Volvo Chief Monetary Officer Carla De Geyseleer advised ANE that the electrified fashions have additionally been a monetary success.
“It isn’t simply concerning the uptick of the amount, we’re making a very good margin once we promote these vehicles,” she stated.
As Volvo was getting ready for its aggressive push into the electrified sector Samuelsson remembers many individuals telling him that EVs would have a unfavourable margin.
“We’ve got not seen that,” he stated. “We’ve got offered them with the identical margin as our standard premium vehicles.”
Proper now most of Volvo’s Recharge quantity comes from plug-in hybrid variations of fashions such because the XC60 midsize SUV, however the CEO stated the share of full-electric gross sales from the mannequin line will rise steadily because it introduces a brand new battery-driven automotive every year.
The primary member of the household, which debuted final 12 months, was the Volvo XC40 Recharge P8. It is going to be joined this 12 months by another compact electric mannequin, likely to be named the C40.
A full-electric model of the third-generation XC90 flagship SUV is due in 2022.
By 2025 Volvo goals to have 5 full-electric vehicles in its lineup and expects these fashions to account for half of its international gross sales.