Volvo announced today at the Shanghai Auto Show that it would be building its first electric vehicle in China beginning in 2019. The model will use the CMA platform that is being jointly developed by Volvo and its parent company Geely. According to Volvo Cars CEO Hakan Samuelsson, it will be an all-new model but declined to say what type of vehicle it would be - crossover, sedan, or hatchback.

"It will be a body style that we expect will have global acceptance and we will start production with the battery-only version only, with internal combustion variants that could follow later," Samuelsson told Automotive News.

As for why Volvo has decided on China to build the EV, it comes down to the Chinese government working on reducing vehicle emissions.

“Volvo Cars fully supports the Chinese government’s call for cleaner air as outlined in the latest five-year plan. It is fully in-line with our own core values of environmental care, quality and safety,” said Samuelsson in a statement.

The statement also reveals that Volvo is working on an electric vehicle using their SPA platform.

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required), Volvo
Press Release is on Page 2

Volvo’s first all electric car will be made in China

Volvo Cars, the premium car maker, will build its first fully electric car in China, the company announced today at Auto Shanghai in China.
 
The all new model will be based on Volvo’s Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) for smaller cars, and will be available for sale in 2019 and exported globally from China, Volvo said.
 
The decision to make its first electric car in China highlights the central role China will play in Volvo’s electrified future and underlines China’s growing sophistication as a manufacturing centre for the automotive industry.
 
“Volvo Cars fully supports the Chinese government’s call for cleaner air as outlined in the latest five-year plan. It is fully in-line with our own core values of environmental care, quality and safety,” said Håkan Samuelsson, chief executive of Volvo Cars. “We believe that electrification is the answer to sustainable mobility.”
 
China is the world’s largest sales market for electrified cars and has ambitious targets to expand sales of fully electric and hybrid cars in order to address congestion and air quality issues in its cities.
 
Volvo has a commitment to sell a total of 1m electrified cars – including fully electric cars and hybrids – by 2025. It is also developing a fully electric car on its Scalable Product Architecture (SPA). The Swedish company also plans to offer plug-in hybrid versions of every model.
 
Volvo has three manufacturing facilities in China in Daqing, which makes its 90 series cars, Chengdu, which makes its 60 series cars, and Luqiao, which will make its 40 series cars.