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Volvo used to be synonymous with tank-like safety, but in the past few years it’s gained a reputation for cutting-edge tech too. First, it gave us the supreme 2016 Volvo XC90, and then it announced "Vision 2020", a driverless project to prevent deaths in its cars by the year 2020. Now the Swedish carmaker says it wants to sell one million electrified cars by 2025, and to be honest, it looks doable.

Volvo doesn’t sell any pure-electric cars just yet, but it’s already got a good range of hybrid options, including the Volvo XC90 T8. However, Volvo is going to bolster its hybrid range by offering at least two hybrid versions of each model in its range by 2025 – and it’s going to release a pure EV in 2019.

“It is a deliberately ambitious target,” said Håkan Samuelsson, president and chief executive of Volvo Cars. “It is going to be a challenge, but Volvo wants to be at the forefront of this shift to electrification.” But is he right? "Sort of" is the answer.

The UK loves hybrids

The target is certainly ambitious, but you have to understand just how exciting the hybrid market is right now, especially in the UK. Last year. 28,000 ultra-low-emissions vehicles (ULEVs) were registered last year – more than the combined total of the previous five years. What’s more, the growth of plug-in hybrids in 2015 was almost double what it was the previous year, with 14,532 sold. That's a 94% increase on 2014.  

Electric cars sales in the UK went up last year too, increasing by 48% with 9,934 registrations, but I think it’s hybrid that will make up the majority of Volvo’s one million car target. Hybrid vehicles have proved to be a popular stepping stone for environmentally conscious consumers who aren’t quite ready for a fully electric vehicle – and that’s the market Volvo will be looking to capture.

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