The move away from diesel and petrol was signalled some weeks ago but today the Geely-owned Volvo Car Group confirmed all new models launched from 2019 will be fully electric or hybrids.
This spells the eventual end to nearly a century of Volvos powered solely by the internal combustion engine, but it also puts significant pressure on other manufacturers to follow suit. Few of them will be happy to remain associated with fossil fuel-driven cars. The move also allows Volvo to align for competition from Tesla, which already has thousands of orders for a volume-selling compact electric car it has yet to launch. Tesla Motors has been an exclusively battery only manufacturer from day one.
However, the Gothenburg-based company will continue to produce pure combustion-engine Volvos from models launched before that date.
But it said it would introduce cars across its model line-up that ranged from fully electric cars to plug-in hybrids.
Volvo's plans make it the first major traditional car maker to set a date for the complete phase-out of combustion-engine-only models though electrification has long been a buzzword across the industry.
"This announcement marks the end of the solely combustion engine-powered car," Volvo Cars chief executive Hakan Samuelsson said in a statement.
Five new models set to be launched from 2019 to 2021 - three of them Volvos and two Polestar-branded - will all be fully electric.
"These five cars will be supplemented by a range of petrol and diesel plug in hybrid and mild hybrid 48-volt options on all models," Volvo said.
"There will in future be no Volvo cars without an electric motor", a Volvo statement said.
Volvo has invested heavily in new models and plants since being bought by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group from Ford Motor in 2010.
It has established a niche in a premium car market dominated by larger rivals such as Daimler's Mercedes-Benz and BMW.
Part of its strategy has also been to embrace emerging technologies which allow higher performance electric vehicles as well as, eventually, self-driving cars.
Only last month, Volvo said it would reshape its Polestar business into a standalone brand, focused on high-performance electric cars aimed at competing with Tesla and the Mercedes AMG division.
