Volvo has taken the surprise move of removing its estate and saloon offerings from the UK market. As the brand transitions to an all-electric future, the classic Volvo estate has been confined to the history books – for British customers at least.

According to the Swedish brand, which is owned by Chinese company Geely, saloons and estates currently account for less than 10 percent of UK sales. Rising demand for Volvo’s SUV models, including the all-electric XC40 Recharge and C40 Recharge, have prompted UK bosses to streamline its line-up. In the first half of 2023, Volvo’s best-selling model was the XC60 which recorded 106,000 sales. In contrast, the brand’s most popular non-SUV, the S90, only managed 23,000 sales over the same period.

In a statement, Volvo UK said: “We continue to rapidly transform our product offer, which means not only moving towards full electrification, but also shifting to new platforms and technologies across all our cars. We will naturally need to evolve and consolidate our line-up as we prioritise fully electric cars and make this technological transition.

"As a result, we have removed further models from the UK line-up. These include the S60, V60 and V90. Demand for our existing SUV line-up continues to grow, while interest in our forthcoming fully electric EX30 and EX90 models is strong. Meanwhile, appetite for our saloon and estate models has fallen to very low levels in the UK, which has led to our decision to remove these models from sale in the UK.”

Volvo will concentrate on developing a new range of electric SUVs like the EX30

Although the brand still lists the S60 and V60 models on its website, Volvo only has existing stock to sell and is not taking new orders. The brand will refit its South Carolina factory where the S60 and V60 models were produced to accommodate new production lines for its electric SUVs and Polestar models. 

Volvo is set to expand its all-electric line-up with the EX90, EX30 and EX60. The first to arrive will be the EX30 compact SUV, which is expected to be a big hit with buyers thanks to its competitive price tag. The range-topping EX90 will follow it into showrooms next year with the EX60 expected to complete the line-up in 2025. 

Although the news will come as a disappointment to buyers hoping for a battery-powered Volvo estate, the brand has hinted that it will develop a number of non-SUV models in the future. Boss Jim Rowan has stated in numerous interviews that if the market for an estate car becomes financially viable for the brand, it will introduce one. 

EX90 will top Volvo's range when it arrives in 2024