Swedish manufacturing giant Volvo has unveiled a shock announcement to bring back estate models to the UK market less than a year after the brand said it would stop sales.
In August, Volvo said it would be axing existing estate and saloon cars from its UK sales range, putting it down to a lack of interest from drivers.
It comes as motorists around the UK tend to opt for larger SUV-type vehicles which have become commonplace on UK roads in recent years.
As part of the decision to end sales of estate cars in the UK, Volvo removed the V60 and S60 models from its website, in addition to its V90 Cross Country models.
Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailingmotoring@gbnews.uk
The Volvo V60 is expected to return to UK forecourts
VOLVO
Speaking at the time, a spokesperson for the brand said it needed to “naturally evolve and consolidate” its lineup of vehicles by prioritising electric vehicles.
However, in a dramatic U-turn, Volvo will begin selling estate vehicles in the UK again, with the V60 and V90 likely to return to forecourts.
However, the saloon equivalents – the S60 and S90 – are not expected to make a return.
According to Autocar, drivers will have the choice between a mild-hybrid petrol engine with 197bhp or a petrol plug-in hybrid with either 350bhp or 455bhp.
In a statement to Autocar, the brand said it had removed the V60 and V90 from the UK market because of falling appetite for estate cars, with orders set to begin again next month.
They added: “While this remains a long-term trend, we have seen a resurgence for our estate products in recent months and have decided to reintroduce the V60 and V90 to our UK portfolio in response to this.
“When operating in a fast-moving industry, we continually re-evaluate our product portfolio to ensure we have the right mix to serve all our customers.
“As part of this process, it is not uncommon for us to remove certain models or derivatives from sale and reintroduce them later.”
The Swedish brand added that it was pleased to hear so many positive comments from drivers, prompting the resurgence of the popular vehicle types.
At the time of Volvo’s decision to remove the vehicles from the market, the former host of Top Gear and The Grand Tour, James May, said the brand had “spoiled everything for Brits”.
The TV presenter posted on social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, that his dream of having an “agreeable Volvo saloon in retirement” had been snatched from him.
“This is the second time Volvo has ruined my life. For the first time, see my book Carbolics. #VeryObtusePlug,” he wrote.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
The Volvo S60 is not expected to return to the UK
VOLVO
Volvo responded to May saying that the brand would still be making saloon and estate cars, just not selling them on the UK market.
In response, May said the brand “ruins my life for the third time by publicly fact-shaming me”. He said: “But I should have included ‘for the UK’ for absolute clarity.
“They are only spoiling everything for British people. Foreigners can still buy proper Volvos, and should.”