Volvo Cars announced that it will be the first car company to assemble plug-in hybrid cars locally in India. Following a top-down approach, Volvo XC90 is going to be the first model from Volvo's portfolio whose plug-in hybrid variant will be assembled locally at the Bengaluru plant by end of 2019. Apart from the XC90, a range of plug-in hybrids are slated for launch in the next three years. The announcement places electrification at the core of Volvo's future business. Volvo says that this move paves the way for the complete phase-out of combustion-engine-only models.
As a part of the #BreatheFree initiative, Volvo cars rolled out environment-based activities to generate awareness of increasing PM2.5 levels in the atmosphere. In association with ASSOCHAM, the outreach activities involved schools in NCR and dealerships across the nation to make a DIY Clean Air filter kit which was distributed on children's day to areas where people cannot afford air purifiers.
Charles Frump, Managing Director, Volvo Car India said, "The localization of plug-in hybrids marks the future of electrification for us. Our customers are increasingly becoming aware of the rise in pollution levels and degrading environment. As a responsible luxury car company, we believe electrification is the future. However, till the time we have a supporting Infrastructure, plug-in hybrids offer the intermediate solution." He further added, The #BreatheFree initiative provides us the impetus to take the lead in generating awareness about the air quality. I am extremely pleased at the performance of the intiative and we are looking at taking this to the next level in the future"
Furthermore, Volvo Cars plans to slowly phase out conventional powertrains and focus only on electrification. Volvo is committed to a goal of featuring some form of electric propulsion to its models from 2019 onwards. Every new Volvo from 2019 onwards will be electrified.
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