Volvo now only sells SUVs in the UK: Swedish brand sedans and station wagons

Do you want a new Volvo? Then it must be an SUV.

That’s because the Swedish manufacturer has removed all saloon and estate models from its British line-up with immediate effect.

With spacious estates that have been the brand’s bread and butter for generations, the decision is likely to throw some Volvo enthusiasts off guard.

The decision was made because of the company’s “give priority to fully electric cars”, increased demand for larger SUV models and declining interest in more traditional vehicle segments.

In a statement to This is Money, Volvo said: ‘We continue to rapidly transform our product offering, which means not only moving towards full electrification, but also switching to new platforms and technologies in all our cars.

“We will of course need to evolve and consolidate our lineup as we prioritize fully electric cars and make this technological transition.

As a result we have removed more models from the UK range. These include the S60, V60 and V90.”

Volvo has earmarked half of its global car sales for electric cars for 2025, aiming to sell only electric models by 2030 – the government-set cut-off date for sales of new petrol and diesel passenger cars and vans.

The company added: “Demand for our existing SUV range continues to grow, while interest in our upcoming all-electric EX30 and EX90 models is strong.

“Meanwhile, interest in our saloon and estate models in the UK has fallen to very low levels, leading to our decision to withdraw these models from UK sales.”

The Volvo S60 saloon will no longer be sold in UK showrooms due to lack of demand for this vehicle segment

Volvo has also cleared the practical V60 station wagon, which recently received a facelift

Volvo’s largest station wagon model, the V90 (pictured), has also been sacrificed as the Swedish brand wants to prioritize SUVs and electric vehicles

Volvo’s UK line-up now consists of the XC40 and Volvo C40 Recharge, while the mid-sized XC60 fills the gap between them and its flagship XC90 seven-seater

A spokesperson for the brand said the decision is for the UK market only, with saloon and estate models remaining in production worldwide and offered to customers in showrooms.

The Swedish brand is the 16th most popular car manufacturer in Britain in 2023 based on new vehicle sales in the first six months of the year.

Between January and the end of June, some 24,877 Volvos hit our roads, which is more than other mainstream brands such as Mini, Renault, Mazda, Seat, Citroën, Dacia and Honda.

But Volvo says so currently less than 10 per cent of UK sales are represented by saloon and station wagon models.

“The vast majority of our customers opt for an SUV,” adds the spokesperson.

“The XC40, XC60 and XC90 are all in the top three of their respective segments for UK sales.”

Although Volvo will stop offering saloons and station wagons to British drivers in the near future, it says motorists still interested in these vehicles can still find available stock in the ‘shop’ section of its website.

When asked if non-SUV models could return to showrooms as part of Volvo’s electrification plans, Volvo replied: ‘We are not commenting on future products, but in the coming years we will continue to roll out a completely new family of all-electric models, supporting the changing needs of our consumers.

“This is in support of our ambition to sell 50 percent fully electric cars by the middle of the decade and only pure electric models by 2030.”

With all saloons and estates removed from dealerships, Volvo’s UK line-up now consists of the XC40 and Volvo C40 Recharge, while the mid-sized XC60 fills the gap between them and its flagship XC90 seven-seater.

The new EX30 crossover will be available later this year, followed by the seven-seat EX90 in 2024.