Volvo has today announced that from 2026 it will only sell fully electric cars in Australia – four years earlier than the parent company’s 2030 global target.

Stephen Connor, Managing Director of Volvo Car Australia, has said that “Volvo Cars has one of the most ambitious climate plans in the car industry which involves consistently reducing the life cycle carbon footprint per car through concrete action” and that “Australian consumers are early adopters of new technologies, and they are embracing fully electric cars in increasing numbers as part of a practical response to combatting climate change”.

By 2025, Volvo predicts that nearly 80 percent of Australian sales will be fully electric models. Conner went on to say, “There is no long-term future for cars with an internal combustion engine. So, instead of investing in a shrinking business, we choose to invest in the future, which is fully electric.”

Still think Volvo is a small player? Think again. Volvo is currently the fastest growing brand in the Australian luxury SUV segment, clocking up record sales for the past four years. Last week it launched the C40 Recharge Pure Electric, the first dedicated electric only vehicle model for the Australian market.

All of this Swedish electric goodness is in addition to Volvo’s ‘Polestar’ brand of electric only cars.