Volvo sets record with 2023 sales result

VOLVO Car Australia ended 2023 on an historic high after delivering another record sales result. The Swedish importer amassed a total of 11,128 new vehicle deliveries across the calendar year, notching up yet another year of growth.

The importer says that cracking the 11,000 unit plus milestone follows on from last year’s record-breaking achievement of 10,715 units and is part of a trajectory that has seen the brand grow over six of the last seven years.

For the second consecutive year, the Volvo sales leader board has been topped by the XC40 small segment SUV, which tallied 5837 registrations in 2023.

Volvo Car Australia managing director, Stephen Connor says it is a number that will be bolstered further by the arrival of the brand’s smallest-ever electric SUV, the new Volvo EX30 (pictured) when the model arrives at the end of Q1.

“When I joined Volvo in 2017, we sold 4682 cars in 12 months, all of which were equipped with internal combustion engines. In seven years, we have increased our volume by more than 125 per cent to 11,128 cars,” he said.

“In 2019, we made the bold decision to delete diesel variants from our local model line-up as we embraced the vision of our strategy of ultimately being an all-electric car company. We forge ahead our way.

“Along the way we have also increased the sales of our Pure Electric cars to 3949 in 2023, which is 35 per cent of our total volume, led by the XC40 Recharge Pure Electric and the C40 Recharge Pure Electric.

“Globally, Volvo Cars is firmly committed to becoming an electric-only carmaker by 2030. In one of my first actions as the managing director, I announced that Volvo Car Australia will make the transition to full all-electric even earlier. Our planning sees us achieving this by 2026.

“We know Australian consumers are early adopters of new technologies, and they are embracing fully electric cars in increasing numbers as part of a practical response to combatting climate change. We believe this momentum will increase in the years ahead.

“By 2025 nearly 80 per cent of Volvo’s Australian sales will comprise of fully electric models. There is no long-term future for cars with an internal combustion engine. So, instead of investing in a shrinking business, we choose to invest in the future, which is fully electric.

“The earlier deadline will allow us to meet the expectations of our Australian customers and be a part of the solution when it comes to fighting climate change. Sustainability is as important as safety to us,” he concluded.

Volvo Car Australia currently holds a 0.9 per cent share of the Australian new car market, falling just behind Lexus (1.2 per cent), Audi (1.6 per cent), Mercedes-Benz (2.0 per cent) and BMW (2.2 per cent).