In times when the auto industry has been investing considerable time and resources towards developing electric technology for greener transportation, premium automaker Volvo does not want to be left far behind. At the Shanghai Motor Show, the Swedish automaker Volvo announced that it will produce its first fully electric vehicle in China. The new model will be based on Volvo's Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) for smaller cars and is expected to go on sale in 2019. This all-electric vehicle might be exported globally from China.
By 2025, Volvo plans to sell one million electrified cars globally. The automaker is also developing a fully electric car on the Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) along with plans to introduce plug-in hybrid versions of every model. The automaker’s decision to introduce the all-electric vehicle in China highlights the country’s government efforts for a cleaner air. The local buyers are however skeptical about going in for electric vehicles due to limitations like low travel range and reliability issues. In an effort to encourage buyers, the Chinese administration is offering a mix of incentives and penalties for global automakers to encourage investments in the country.
Last year, Volvo introduced its first plug-in hybrid vehicle, the XC90 T8 Excellence in India at a price of Rs 1.25 crore (Ex-showroom, Delhi). Under the hood, the vehicle is powered by a 2.0-litre supercharged and turbocharged petrol engine along with a 9.2kWh Lithium-ion battery. The powerful engine is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission to generate 402bhp of power and 640Nm of torque. Loaded with the most advanced convenience and safety features, the vehicle does emerge as a strong option in its segment.
