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 2019.
Apart from the XC90, a range
of plug-in hybrids are slated for launch in the next 3 years. This announcement
places electrification at the core of Volvo’s future business. It also paves
way for the complete phase-out of combustion-engine-only models.
As part of the #BreatheFree
initiative, Volvo cars rolled out environment 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 in
areas where people cannot afford air purifiers.
Charles Frump - Managing
Director, Volvo Car India said, “The localisation of plug-in hybrids marks the
future of electrification for us. Our customers are increasingly becoming aware
about 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 initiative and we are looking at taking this to the next level in the
future.”
In its commitment towards
environment and electrified future, 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 in its models from 2019
onwards. Every new Volvo from 2019 onwards will be electrified.