A MAJOR car manufacturer has axed a number of popular models in the UK.
Drivers were stunned to hear that Volvo has culled all saloon and estate models from British dealerships with immediate effect.
The popular brand is now only selling SUV’s in the UK having removed the S60 saloon and remaining V60 and V90 estates.
The decision has been made due to the company wanting to “prioritise fully electric cars“.
Meanwhile, the increased demand for larger SUV models and shrinking appetite for more traditional vehicles have also been big factors.
Volvo says its saloons and estates accounted for less than 10 per cent of sales in the UK.
In a statement issued to This is Money, Volvo said: “We continue to rapidly transform our product offer, which means not only moving towards full electrification, but also shifting to new platforms and technologies across all our cars.
“We will naturally need to evolve and consolidate our line-up as we prioritise fully electric cars and make this technological transition.
“As a result, we have removed further models from the UK line-up. These include the S60, V60 and V90.”
Volvo has earmarked 2025 for half of its global car sales to be EVs with the intention of selling only electric models by 2030.
This is the Government’s cut-off date for the sale of new petrol and diesel passenger cars and vans.
The well-known company added: “Demand for our existing SUV line-up continues to grow, while interest in our forthcoming fully electric EX30 and EX90 models is strong.
“Meanwhile, appetite for our saloon and estate models has fallen to very low levels in the UK, which has led to our decision to remove these models from sale in the UK.”
A spokesman for the brand said the decision is just for the UK market, with saloon and estate models remaining in global production and being offered to customers in showrooms.
“The vast majority of our customers opt for an SUV,” the Volvo spokesman added.
“The XC40, XC60 and XC90 all sit in the top three positions in their respective segments when it comes to UK sales.”
The Swedish brand is the sixteenth most popular car maker in Britain in 2023 based on new vehicle sales in the first six months of the year.
Some 24,877 Volvos have entered our roads between January and the end of June, which is more than other mainstream marques including Mini, Renault, Mazda, Seat, Citroen, Dacia and Honda.
With all saloons and estates now removed from dealerships, Volvo’s UK line-up now consists of the XC40 and Volvo C40 Recharge.
And the mid-sized XC60 fills the gap between them and its flagship XC90 seven seater.
The new EX30 crossover will land later this year, followed by the seven-seat EX90 in 2024.
Although Volvo will stop offering saloons and estates to UK drivers for the immediate future, it says motorists still interested in these vehicles can still find available stock in the “shop” section of its website.
