Volvo’s new EVs to drive lofty sales target in Australia

The managing director of Volvo Cars Australia Stephen Connor has outlined the key reasons its sales will significantly increase in Australia in the coming years, with the Swedish car-maker planning to reach a historic high of 12,000 sales a year by 2028.

Volvo Cars Australia boss Stephen Connor is confident the brand will reach a historic new car sales high by 2028, thanks in part to a range of fresh electrified models including the all-new EX60 mid-size electric SUV, set to debut next January.

Speaking to local media this week, Connor said despite the ‘aggressive market and tough environment’ in Australia, the Swedish brand plans to grow sales locally by the thousands, starting with 8000 sales by the end of 2025.

“We’ve come from selling 4,500 cars back in 2017 to now… this year we’ll be close to 8000. At our peak, we sold close to 11,500 cars,” said Connor.

“And we will get back to that number very, very soon.”

Volvo’s best 12 months in Australia to date was just a few years ago when it shifted 11,128 units in 2023.

Since then, it’s axed the S60 and V60, but delivered more electrified models including the EX30 and EX90 SUVs, which will soon be joined by the new ES90 electric sedan and off-road focussed EX30 Cross Country.

But Connor says the brand will never chase volume.

“We're not looking for volume, we don't need big volume in Australia. We don’t need big volume globally,” said the exec.

“We will get to 12,000 [sales per year] by a couple of ways: probably different segments, so as new models come through, we will push those. We're number two in the segment for EX30 already, so that shows you that the car’s doing great balancing that segment.

“We've got great plans for the ES90 and EX90, so they will grow in volume. At the moment, we're planning [to sell] roughly about 300 EX90 next year and again, roughly about 300 for ES90. You only need to grow those by a couple of hundred, then all of a sudden you’re getting close to the 12,000 mark,” he said.

“The 12,000 will be over the next three years and then when we launch the EX60, that will be crudely about 2000-2500 so all of a sudden, with that model, we're at 12,000 [sales].”

“We haven't been at 12 [thousand] in Australia,” Connor added, “but yes we will be about 12 by 2028.”

Connor says that while Volvo still measures itself against prestige Euro brands like BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi, it’s noticed a shift in customers coming from other brands.

“We’d like to believe that we take a lot of our customers from the Germans, because obviously they’re the aspiration of where we would like to sit,” he said.

“But what we’re noticing over the last couple of years is we’re actually taking more people from Volkswagen and Subaru. They’re coming into the brand; they’re looking for a bit more luxury. Less are migrating across from [prestige] German brands, which is a shame, I’d love to take more share from those guys.”

12,000 sales per year might not sound like a lofty target when you consider Toyota – Australia’s top-selling car brand – sells almost double that figure every month, but it would bring Volvo closer to key Euro rivals like Mercedes-Benz and BMW, which currently shift around 20,000-26,000 cars per year.

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