Volvo to phase out production of diesel cars by early 2024

Volvo has announced that it will stop producing diesel-powered cars come early 2024. The announcement was made at Climate Week NYC 2023.

The move is another step that Volvo is taking to become a climate-neutral company by 2040, on top of the current goal to only sell fully-electric cars by 2030. Volvo states that it will be one of the first legacy car makers to phase out production of diesel-powered vehicles.

Volvo additionally states that just four years ago, the majority of its cars sold in Europe were diesel-powered, but today, this trend has been inverted, with fully electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles now comprising the majority of Volvo's sales in Europe.

The firm states that having less diesel car plying the streets will lead to a positive impact on urban air quality, as they emit less nitrogen oxide, which has an adverse effect on air quality especially in built-up areas. Volvo only just revealed its all-electric EX30 compact crossover in June 2023, which is being offered with a variety of batteries and can be charged at speeds of up to 153kW.