Volvo dumps sedans, wagons in UK on SUV demand, EV shift

Wagons such as the V60 accounted for less then 7 percent of Volvo's global first-half sales while SUVs had a share of more than 80 percent.

Volvo's U.K. arm has removed sedans and station wagons from its lineup, leaving just the Swedish brand's SUVs on sale there.

Sedans and wagons have made up less than 10 percent of UK sales over the last couple of years, according to the company.

Volvo started its transition in the U.K. in June when it removed the S90 flagship sedan as well as the V60 Cross Country and V90 Cross Country wagons from the portfolio. The S60 sedan along with the V60 and V90 wagons were removed in July.

"The cars are no longer open for factory orders for UK customers, though some existing stock and pipeline stock remains available on the shop section of our website," a U.K.-based spokesman said.

Despite the move in the U.K., Volvo said that its sedans and wagons remain in global production and available in other markets.

But with sedans accounting for just 12 percent of Volvo's global first-half sales and wagons just 6.8 percent, and none of those models being full electric when the brand wants to be EV-only by 2030, steps are being taken to phase them out.

In Germany, the S90, V60 Cross Country and V90 Cross Country will no longer be sold starting in the middle of next year, a spokesman said. By 2025, the V60 will be removed from Volvo's lineup in Europe's No. 1 market for wagon sales (see table, below).

Volvo is expected to add a full-electric flagship sedan to replace the S90. That car is likely to be called the ES90. This would align with the company's choice of names such as the EX90 for its flagship SUV, which will be sold alongside the similar-sized XC90 premium large crossover.

The battery-powered sedan will be available in the U.S. by 2025, according to the Automotive News Future Product Pipeline.

Also in the U.S., Volvo plans to discontinue sales of the V90 around mid-decade while the automaker will stop offering the gasoline-powered S90 and S60 by the end of 2026, according to the Future Product Pipeline.

A full-electric replacement for the V60 is due in the U.S. by 2027. It is likely to be added to the brand's European lineup sooner given the popularity of the body style in region.

Wagons in many cases match or outsell their hatchback or sedan siblings, as many customers are willing to pay a small premium to get the extra trunk space.

The S90 was Volvo's No. 4-selling model globally in the first half with a volume of 23,079 units, an increase of 29 percent on the same period last year.

The source said it is likely that the electric wagon will serve as the replacement for both the V60 and V90.

In a statement shared on Tuesday about the move away from sedans and wagons. Volvo's U.K. arm said: "We continue to rapidly transform our product offer, which means not only moving toward full electrification, but also shifting to new platforms and technologies across all our cars. We will naturally need to evolve and consolidate our lineup as we prioritize fully electric cars and make this technological transition."

Volvo has promised a new full-electric model every year until 2025, with the goal of getting half of its global sales, a targeted 600,000 units, from battery-powered models by that time.

Volvo's 2022 electric debut was the EX90, which has had its arrival delayed by software challenges.

In June Volvo showed its EV for 2023, the EX30 small SUV, which will be the brand's most affordable model when it starts reaching customers in Europe early next year.

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