Volvo does a pointy U-turn because the boxy estates and saloons return to Britain

It isn’t the type of dangerous manoeuvre any self-respecting Volvo property driver would execute, however the Swedish carmaker has carried out a pointy U-turn on the decision to stop selling them here after an outcry from drivers dedicated to a automotive synonymous with British middle-class household life.

Final summer season Volvo dropped the bombshell that it could not market its estates or saloon cars within the UK and would as a substitute think about its sports activities utility autos (SUVs), that are more and more favoured by drivers who like the upper seating place and off-road styling.

“The urge for food for our saloon and property fashions has fallen to very low ranges within the UK, which has led to our resolution to take away these fashions,” it mentioned on the time.

Nevertheless, in latest days the corporate confirmed a change of coronary heart because the V60 and V90 fashions are set to return to UK showrooms and can begin taking orders in July. Earlier than they had been withdrawn from sale, each fashions began at about £41,000.

The standard property automotive – often a boxy five-seater with room for baggage (or canine) within the boot – has fallen out of favour in lots of components of the world, and in 2023 SUVs accounted for nearly half of global car sales. This shift has been dangerous information for the surroundings – the rise of the cumbersome, heavy SUV accounted for 1 / 4 of worldwide development in oil demand final yr, pushing up global emissions.

A Volvo spokesperson mentioned: “Whereas this [shift to SUVs] stays a long-term development, we now have seen a resurgence for our property merchandise in latest months and have determined to reintroduce the V60 and V90 to our UK portfolio in response to this. We are going to start taking orders subsequent month.”

Property automobiles – referred to as station wagons within the US – met the sensible must ferry giant quantities of bags, the title evoking journeys to and from the railway station for the landed lessons. Volvo made its first property automotive in 1953, the Duett mannequin, which might be used for carrying a household in addition to industrial hundreds.

Within the many years that adopted, it turned de rigueur for middle-class automotive homeowners. Within the Nineteen Seventies a Volvo 145 property was the vehicle of choice in The Good Life, a sitcom set in London’s commuter belt. On the fruits of Richard Curtis’s hit movie Notting Hill, it’s an property automotive, a Peugeot 406, that speeds the endearing posho Hugh Grant, 5 associates and a wheelchair by central London to his film-star lover.

Tom Leathes, the chief govt of automotive promoting web site Motorway, mentioned property automobiles – which make up 7% of its gross sales – are nonetheless in excessive demand due to their gasoline effectivity in contrast with the extra widespread SUVs. He added that used costs for the V60 had elevated by 2% quarter on quarter. “There may be nonetheless excessive demand from our vendor companions to inventory their forecourts with these modern-day classics,” he mentioned.

The V60 and V90 are each obtainable as plug-in hybrids, which have mid-sized batteries able to about 50 miles of electrical driving earlier than the petrol engine is required. That provides the automobiles significantly better gasoline financial system than conventional petrol automobiles below take a look at circumstances, though in the true world the effectivity and environmental advantages are sometimes restricted as a result of customers fail to plug them in.

It’s unclear whether or not the Volvo property will survive into the absolutely electrical age, given that each one of its electrical fashions to date have been SUVs. Volvo, which is managed by the Chinese language conglomerate Geely, mentioned it doesn’t touch upon future mannequin plans.

Volvo mentioned: “When working in a fast-moving business, we regularly re-evaluate our product portfolio to make sure we now have the correct mix to serve all our clients. As a part of this course of, it isn’t unusual for us to take away sure fashions or derivatives from sale and reintroduce them later.”