In the U.S., EV sales increased only 4%, to 328,000.īesides Volvo, Ford, VW and Tesla, several other crossover models are expected over the course of the year, including the Nissan Ariya, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and a lengthened version of the Chevy Bolt.Īnders Gustafsson, chief executive of Volvo’s U.S. China EV sales were up 12%, to 1.3 million. Through rich subsidies, Europe last year passed China as the world’s largest electric car market, with sales up 137% to 1.4 million vehicles, according to. Although battery costs are coming down, they still cost significantly more than internal combustion engines. To sell in large numbers, the vehicles will need continued government subsidies for the next few years at least, analysts say. Despite the state’s aggressive stance, sales of all-electric vehicles remain less than 2% of the U.S. Whether customers flock to crossover EVs will signal to regulators how much or how little work they need to do to meet ambitious mandates such as California’s. In a webcast to introduce the new vehicle, the company also laid out a radical new retail strategy - the C40 and all electric Volvo cars will be available for purchase only online.Ī slew of electric crossovers has hit the market in recent months, including the Ford Mustang Mach-E, the Tesla Model Y and the Volkswagen ID.4. Volvo joins Ford of Europe and Jaguar in going all in on EVs, promising every car it makes and sells by 2030 will be all-electric. Whether they do may be crucial to the success of California’s plan to end sales of gasoline and diesel cars by 2035. With the introduction of its new C40 Recharge on Tuesday, Volvo became the latest automaker to bet that consumers who have so far been cool to the idea of an electric vehicle might change their minds if it comes in a form they love: the crossover.