Volvo plans half of its India sales to come from non-fossil fuel vehicles

Volvo Cars plans to increase the share of clean fuel vehicles in India. The Swedish auto giant has said that it aims to sell at least one non-fossil fuel car out of every two vehicles it will sell by the end of this decade. Volvo currently offers two electric SUVs - the XC40 Recharge and C40 Recharge - as part of its India fleet. It also sells three other models, all of which come with hybrid powertrain. Volvo's India plan reflects the carmaker's global ambition to go all-electric by 2030.

Volvo India has been pushing to cut down on ICE offerings for some time. During the Covid years, the carmaker updated its entire lineup by offering hybrid powertrain across all models sold in the country. Volvo recently discontinued one of its ICE model XC40. Besides the XC40 Recharge and C40 Recharge, Volvo also sells XC60 and XC90 SUVs as well as S90 sedan.

Kamal Bali, President and Managing Director at Volvo Group in India, said that the carmaker plans to achieve carbon-neutral by 2040. "At Volvo, we have set target that by 2030, 50 per cent of our vehicles will be non-fossil fuel-based. They will be non-polluting. Balance 50 per cent will become non-zero emission by 2040," Bali said during an event on Thursday.

Between January and September this year, the Swedish auto giant has registered 40 per cent growth in sales by delivering 1,751 units. Bulk of the carmaker's sales in India came from Volvo XC60 SUV which contributed to 35 per cent of the total volume. It is powered by a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, petrol engine which is mated to a 48V mild-hybrid system as standard.

Though ICE models still contribute largely to Volvo's sales in India, the two EV offerings have also started to make their impact. Jyoti Malhotra, Managing Director at Volvo Car India, had said, “It has been a remarkable three quarters with an encouraging 40% sales growth from January to September 2023 as compared to last year, driven by the XC60 and our Pure Electric offerings XC40 Recharge and C40 Recharge."

Also watch: Volvo C40 Recharge electric SUV first drive review

Volvo launched the C40 Recharge electric SUV in September at a price of ₹61.25 lakh (introductory, ex-showroom). It comes with twin electric motors paired to a 78 kWh lithium-ion battery pack and an AWD drivetrain. The dual electric motors are capable of generating 402 bhp of peak power and 660 Nm of maximum torque. The EV is capable of accelerating 0-100 kmph in 4.7 seconds at a top speed of 180 kmph.