- The company attributed the recall to poor sales and said it would focus on SUVs.
- The V60 and V90 estate models will return, and both will come with petrol engines.
- It comes as private purchases of new electric cars have slowed in recent months.
They have transported generations of Britons to school, on dog walks and on holidays in remote corners of the country.
So after Volvo announced it would no longer sell its iconic family cars in the UK last year, drivers were up in arms.
But it appears the carmaker has bowed to customer demands as the vehicles are set to return to UK showrooms less than a year after they were removed.
And they will return with hybrid gasoline engines under the hood, as demand for electric vehicles stagnates.
Volvo has done a U-turn on its decision to scrap its iconic V60 (pictured) and V90 family cars.
The company, synonymous with Swedish practicality and the highest level of vehicle safety, attributed the decision to abandon both its estate and sedan models to poor sales.
In the first six months of 2023, Volvo said less than 10 percent of UK sales are represented by these more traditional body styles.
Instead, it said it would focus on selling SUVs, whose popularity has grown enormously over the past decade.
“The XC40, XC60 and XC90 sit in the top three positions in their respective segments when it comes to UK sales,” a spokesperson told This is Money in August 2023.
The car manufacturer, owned by the Chinese giant Geely, is one of the brands that is leading the push for electric vehicles and promises to sell only fully electric models from 2030.
However, the slowdown in private sales of battery-powered cars in recent months has caused some manufacturers to change their short-term plans to ditch combustion engines and expand the availability of gasoline engines.
Volvo has now confirmed that its V60 and V90 models will be reintroduced following a “resurgence in demand”, probably for both family vehicles and new combustion engine models.
The company stated that “it is not uncommon for us to withdraw certain models or derivatives from sale and reintroduce them later.”
The V60 will now be offered as a mild hybrid or plug-in hybrid petrol powertrain, while the V90 will now return exclusively as a plug-in petrol engine.
Volvo announced in August 2023 that it was eliminating its offering of family vehicles and sedans due to a lack of demand, as more drivers wanted SUVs and electric vehicles.
A recent slowdown in private purchases of electric vehicles could also have influenced Volvo’s decision to bring back the petrol hybrid models it had recently pulled from UK showrooms. Pictured: a Volvo V60 hybrid
A Volvo 245. The Swedish company has sold around six million estate cars around the world to date.
In a statement, the company said: “We are delighted with the many customer comments, with stories of how our family vehicles have been a great part of their lives. We look forward to helping create more.”
Police driving instructor Bob Isaacs, 76, is among those celebrating the U-turn.
He described his 1995 Volvo 850 estate as “part of the family” and said Sunday weather: ‘(It) has been here, there and everywhere.
“My grandchildren traveled in rear-facing seats when they were little, and I have carried everything you can buy in a garden center in the trunk.”
The first Volvo estate to go on sale was the Duett in 1953, and the company has sold around six million estates worldwide.
The Volvo PV 445 Duett: The Duett was launched in 1953 and was for both work and leisure.