Volvo Cars has announced all new car models will be electric or hybrid cars from 2019.
All new Volvo models after 2019 will have electric motors. Photo: 123RF
The Chinese-owned Swedish company will still produce pure combustion-engine Volvos from models that were launched before that date, but no new models will be launched after 2019 without electric motors.
The company believes electric and hybrid vehicles are gaining ground at the premium end of the market, where Volvo operates.
"This announcement marks the end of the solely combustion engine-powered car," Volvo Cars CEO Hakan Samuelsson said.
The company said five new models set to be launched in 2019 through 2021 would all be fully electric.
These five cars would be supplemented by a range of hybrid models.
"This means that there will in future be no Volvo cars without an electric motor," the company said.
The electric models will be produced at Volvo plants around the world.
There is a steady market for Volvo cars in New Zealand but they are a minority taste, mainly due to price.
Globally, Volvo sales grew 8.2 percent for the first six months of the year compared with a year earlier.
The company believes its vehicles compete with luxury brands like Mercedes-Benz and BMW.