The final Volvo with a diesel engine has rolled off the assembly line in Sweden.
Key Takeaways
- Diesel engines are officially out at Volvo after a 45-year run as the company shifts its focus to electrification by 2030.
- The last diesel Volvo ever made won’t be sold. Instead, it’s headed to the company’s museum in Gothenberg.
- Tough emissions standards and high development costs are leading to fewer and fewer diesel options.
Volvo promised an end to its lineup of diesel vehicles last year and now it’s living up to that promise. The last diesel Volvo, an XC90, has rolled off the assembly line at the Torslanda plant in Sweden.
This last-of-its-kind Volvo won’t go to a customer. Instead, it’s destined for the World of Volvo museum in Gothenberg where it will be preserved as a part of Volvo’s history. The first diesel Volvos were produced back in 1979, making this vehicle the last in a 45-year diesel production run.
It Was Good While It Lasted
Over nine million diesels have been built since the company started tracking that information back in 1991. That leaves 12 years of uncounted diesel production out there, which makes the actual number much higher.
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Early diesel engines were licensed from Volkswagen as Volvo didn’t have a diesel at the time. That changed in 2001 when production of its own diesel started at its Skövde factory. By 2018, diesel was on the outs and Volvo announced an end to the development of new diesel engines.
Time to Electrify
In the US, nothing much changes as there are no diesel Volvos on sale here, but the situation is different in Europe. There, diesel popularity is still strong, though it’s been slowly shrinking in the wake of Volkswagen’s diesel emissions scandal. Increasingly tough emissions standards make developing new diesels an expensive proposition, so automakers are slowly dropping them from their lineups as they move toward electrification.
While Volvo diesel engines are gone, gas engines are still a part of the mix along with plug-in hybrid and fully electric models, including the new EX30. That, too, is set to change as the company aims to meet its goal of being a fully electric brand by 2030.
