Volvo Announces Hybrid And Electric Car Only Line-Up From 2019 — The Beginning Of The End For ICE?

Volvo has announced plans to have only hybrid and electric cars on sale from 2019, however, would the high taxes on hybrids under GST affect their plans in India?

By Stephen

Volvo seems all set to end an era. An era of cars powered by internal combustion engines. The Swedish car manufacturer has announced that all cars manufactured by them from 2019 will be equipped with an electric motor for propulsion.

This is a Bold step forward for Volvo and would mark the historic end of internal combustion engine powered vehicles as we know it. 2019 onwards, all cars that roll out of the Volvo factory will either be mild hybrid, plug-in hybrid or pure electric powered.

All Volvo Cars To Be Hybrid Or Electric From 2019

A 48-volt mild hybrid system will be introduced in 2019, which will use a small electric motor to provide assistance to the car's petrol or diesel engine. According to Volvo, this system would provide a better driving experience alongside being more efficient and emitting lesser pollution.

Volvo already has plug-in hybrids in its portfolio with the T-8 powertrain, drawing power from electric motors as well as an internal combustion engine. The T-8 plug-in hybrid powertrain currently used by Volvo in its cars was developed to match the performance of big six or eight cylinder engines. Reports had emerged earlier this year, that Volvo would develop a smaller twin-engine set up to be used in smaller, 4-cylinder cars.

All Volvo Cars To Be Hybrid Or Electric From 2019

Volvo has also announced that they would be launching five pure electric cars between 2019 and 2021. Three of the five will be Volvo's cars and the other two would be from Polestar, Volvo's performance brand. Apart from this, Volvo has also said that every model of theirs would have at least one pure electric variant.

This move will make Volvo the first traditional car manufacturer to switch to a portfolio full of electric cars and is part of Volvo's commitment to bring out one million electric cars or hybrids by 2025, and Volvo is certain that the future is in electric vehicles.

All Volvo Cars To Be Hybrid Or Electric From 2019

Volvo feels the time is ripe for electricity to take over other sources of propulsion, and maybe they are right. However, Would Volvo be able to implement their hybrid strategy in India too? We have our doubts right now.

India has now moved to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) system, and under this system, hybrid cars now come under the 43 percent tax slab - The highest tax slab for cars. Adding to this, the government has removed the taxation incentives for purchasing hybrid cars and increased taxes on hybrids for a reason. As a result of this, hybrid cars became much more expensive than they already were.

All Volvo Cars To Be Hybrid Or Electric From 2019All Volvo Cars To Be Hybrid Or Electric From 2019

Would Volvo be able to sustain the sales of their hybrids in India? Or would they launch only pure-electric cars in India after 2019, as the GST system has imposed a very low taxation rate on pure electric cars. We would have to wait for an announcement from Volvo on this to know more.

DriveSpark Thinks!

Electric cars definitely are the way forward, and all major auto manufacturers around the world would one day have to make the switch to pure electric cars. If Volvo does stick to its schedule, the Swedish brand will become the first brand in the world to integrate an electric motor into all their cars.

Would they be able to do the same in India, or would we get just the pure electric cars, is something that remains to be seen. Watch this space to know more about this.

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Read more on: #volvo #hybrid
Article Published On: Wednesday, July 5, 2017, 14:15 [IST]
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