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There are less than 10 years to a real revolution in the offer of car manufacturers. From 2030, in fact, brands such as Volvo and Ford will definitively say goodbye to the presence of thermal models in their price lists. No petrol or diesel version in hybrid version but only electric cars. To these was added in chronological order Mini, which also said goodbye to versions also powered by fossil fuels. If there is a significant transition from electrified thermal to 100% electric in nine years, Jaguar will lead the way in four years by offering a piston-free range, according to CEO Thierry Bolloré’s statements. The British manufacturer, starting from 2025, will offer an all-electric range while Land Rover, over the next five years, will give life to six fully electric variants. All major vehicles of both brands will be available fully electric by the end of this decade.The first fully electric Land Rover model will arrive in 2024 and over the next five years the brand will offer six all-electric variants of Range Rover, Discovery and Defender. In 2026, the farewell to diesel will be given.
Jumping forward four years to 2030, the premium market will see Volvo become an all-electric brand. The Swedish brand has recently launched the new C40 Recharge, an SUV coupé derived from the Xc40 and available exclusively in a zero-emission version that can only be purchased online. Behind Volvo’s decision is its belonging to the Chinese group Geely, still almost unknown in Europe to the general public but ready to become one of the world’s leading electric vehicle manufacturers within a few years. In addition to the transformation of Volvo, it will also be the protagonist of the resurgence of Smart after the joint venture with Mercedes for 50% of the brand. The mini SUV will be built on the new Sea architecture (Sustainable Experience Architecture) developed by Geely. Derived from the Cma platform used for the Volvo Xc40 and Polestar 2, the new floor will give life to an entire family of small SUVs that will include the future Volvo Xc20 and the Chinese Emgrad Gse in addition to the Smart.
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Returning to the manufacturers ready to bid farewell to the thermal and hybrid versions, Ford has also set the transition for the European market for 2030. This radical change of strategy will involve profound changes starting from the production sites; thanks to the $ 1 billion investment, a new plant will be built in Cologne where only electric vehicles will be produced. The announcement comes after the publication of financial data that saw the return to profits in Europe in the fourth quarter of 2020. To this is added the announcement of the investment by Ford in electrification, amounting to 22 billion dollars by 2025. The key element of this transformation will be the sharing with the Volkswagen group of the Meb platform, created exclusively for electric models and the starting point of the new zero-emission Ford Fiesta. The changes also concern the Ford commercial vehicle range. By 2024, all models will have a plug-in hybrid or 100% electric version. The Detroit brand expects two-thirds of its commercial vehicle sales in Europe to be Phev or electric by 2030.
Among the brands to say goodbye to the thermal within nine years was also added Mini, the first zero-emission brand of the BMW Group. For the historic British brand it will be a demanding challenge, given the high-performance thermal models that have become true icons such as the John Cooper Works versions.