Volvo Cars announced that it will discontinue production of all remaining diesel cars by early 2024 as it transitions to an all-electric vehicle manufacturer.

"The last diesel-powered Volvo car will be built in a few months, making Volvo Cars one of the first legacy car makers to take this step," the Swedish business said in a statement.

PHOTO | COURTESY Volvo to end diesel car production

Volvo, majority-owned by China's Geely, has pledged to become totally electric by 2030. While diesel vehicles accounted for the majority of Volvo sales in Europe as recently as 2019, they accounted for only 8.9% of the Swedish automaker's sales in 2022.

In August, fully electric or hybrid cars accounted for 33% of Volvo's sales. The business did not specify how many of the remaining 67% of combustion-engine models were diesel and how many were gasoline-powered.

PHOTO | COURTESY Volvo to end diesel car production

Since Volkswagen's emissions-cheating crisis, sales of diesel cars have fallen precipitously in Europe, and automakers have gradually reduced the number of diesel models available in their model lineups.

Diesel vehicles accounted for more than 50% of new car sales in Europe in 2015 but just slightly more than 14% in July.