Volvo Might Have Permanently Stopped Developing Diesel Engines But It's Not That Simple
Volvo, one of the manufacturers that first made diesel cars popular (and good) has announced that it may be permanently stopping developing the technology.
Citing Tesla as the prime example of a company that builds advanced, zero-emissions cars that people are ‘queueing up for,’ the Swedish brand has decided to call it quits on all of its diesel models.
Instead, Volvo is developing fully-electric and hybrid drivetrains across its lines, the first full EV from which will make its debut in 2019. It seems the company is using its relatively low build volumes to be more flexible and react faster than the German behemoths can.
The information comes from an interview Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson gave to German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine. Non-German-speakers might have to translate the page in-browser. First on the agenda is a 48-volt electrical system similar to that already put into practise by Audi. It will be used to develop petrol-electric hybrids leaning towards a plug-in design, plus fully-electric cars.
The German title does make useful note of the fact that petrol engines don’t offer the same sort of long-legged towing ability as good diesels do; particularly larger and more powerful diesels. Volvo isn’t directly replacing diesel for heavy towing duties – at least not yet.
Volvo has already moved to a maximum-four-cylinders policy, with three-bangers on the way as well. We don’t know when the final diesel Volvo will be sold, but this one-time leviathan of diesel drive might just have started saying its goodbyes.
Comments
Diesel Power Needs To Live On
No! it does not!
I fear that in the future when I get the chance to buy a brand new car, I can only go for a fully electric automatic car. Ruins the driving experience
Have you driven one?
Does that mean no more volvo truck?
Not true at all, Volvo is working on fully autonomous electric trucks
If they could make a petrol with same torque as a diesel, and with long range and capable of towing huge load then I’m interested.
Enter your comment…diesels are dying
Volvo engineer: let’s stop making diesel cars.
Other Volvo engineer: let’s just not have any fuel because Volvo
So 2017 Diesel V90 will be super rare in the future or what?
Finally, I get to see the start of the end. Duh diesels are awesum bro, look at my TDI pull up this hill bra, look at my fuel range bra, look at me make beautiful cloud of soot bra, disul pauer bro. Love how most new Euro 6 diesels have a hard time conforming to Euro 3 standards but their apologists will still be on about how their stuck EGR valves, clanking Delphi injectors and clogged particle filters with soot they shoot out their beautiful fake sport exhausts insist how good those pieces of turd are.
I just can’t get over how tasty diesel apologists tears are. All the downvotes I got to various comments here just confirm my belief that too many ignorant people have licenses. In 10 years time you will all look back at this point in your lives, when you were owners of diesel cars and apologists of those expensive, overcomplicated turds, and will say “what on earth was I thinking???”.