No wonder the Swedish automaker wants to kill sedans.
Volvo had an absolutely bumper sales year in 2020, selling close to 400,000 cars in the second half of last year. That momentum has been maintained through the first two months of this year, with the brand already reporting that it has sold 110,383 cars globally in January and February, representing 29.1 percent growth relative to the same period last year. Most major markets contributed to this increase, and in North America, Volvo sold 17,315 cars alone. The vast majority of Volvos sold in the US continue to be SUVs, with those models accounting for 80 percent of sales in the country so far in 2021.
Overall, Volvo’s US sales were up 23.7 percent year-on-year for the first two months of this year. Last year, just prior to the pandemic wreaking havoc on the industry, Volvo sold 13,998 cars in January and February 2020. Volvo will be pleased with the performance of its plug-in hybrid models, especially as the Swedish company aims to be a fully-electric automaker by 2030. In California alone, 30 percent of the brand’s total February sales were for its Recharge models, be those PHEVs or full electrics. Last month, Recharge Volvos accounted for 26.6 percent of all models sold by the company around the world.
It’s SUVs that continue to be Volvo’s bread and butter in the US, though, which is no surprise considering how accomplished vehicles like the XC40 and XC60 are. The upcoming C40 Recharge coupe-SUV should further bolster sales. Perhaps because of the strong reception to its SUVs, Volvo recently said it would move away from sedans and wagons in favor of SUVs with the high seating positions that so many people love. We hope that this doesn’t indicate the demise of Volvo’s superb wagons such as the V60, but one can’t blame the company for responding to what the market wants.
