- Brazil and Norway are the first countries to have combustion vehicles removed from Volvo’s portfolio;
- Uruguay will be next to have the initiative later this year and the plan is to expand across Latin America;
- Volvo will have more than a thousand free EV charging stations installed throughout Brazil by the end of 2021;
The stations are connected to Waze and Google Maps and can be used by vehicles of any make and model.
Volvo announced on Tuesday that it will start selling only hybrid and electric car models in Brazil. With the news, Brazil and Norway are the first countries to have combustion vehicles removed from the automaker’s portfolio.
“We are the first brand in Brazil to remove all combustion-powered models from our range. Now our line is 100% electrified, with all models having at least one electric motor,” said João Oliveira, general director of operations and innovation at Volvo Car Brasil.
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According to the company, in the year’s accumulated sales, bringing together all the brands present in Brazil, Volvo holds 40% of sales among the electrified models sold in the country. “If we take only the plug-in hybrid models, those that can be charged at the plug and fueled at the gas station, seven out of every ten cars sold in Brazil is a Volvo,” said the executive.
The automaker launched its first hybrid model in Brazil in 2018. According to Luis Rezende, president of Volvo Car Brasil and Head of Latin America Hub, the initiative will also expand across Latin America. “Later this year, Volvo in Uruguay will also be fully electrified.”
“We already have over 60% of our range of hybrid vehicles in Latin American countries and the launch of the XC40 Recharge Pure Electric in the second half of the year will further boost our electrification goals,” said Rezende.
The automaker also announced that, by the end of this year, it will have more than one thousand free EV charging stations throughout Brazil. The stations are connected to Waze and Google Maps and can be used by vehicles of any make and model, Volvo said.
