As the automotive world marches towards electrification, many manufacturers have confirmed their commitment to becoming completely battery-powered before the end of the decade.
Some were surprising, such as Rolls-Royce, while others were expected, such as Audi.
We set out to find the biggest automakers that have committed to going all-electric in the next eight years.
Abarth
Abarth, the high-performance division of Fiat, is said to go all-electric as early as 2024.
The brand currently does not have a performance version of the electric Fiat 500 available, but there’s probably one hiding deep in the confines of the engineering department.
Its parent brand Stellantis announced the strategy for Abarth in early 2021 with the tagline: Abarth – “Heating Up People, But Not the Planet”.
Alfa Romeo
Another brand under the Stellantis umbrella that will go electric before 2030 is Alfa Romeo.
From 2024, the well-known Italian manufacturer will be known as “Alfa e-Romeo”, and by 2027, it will only sell electric vehicles.
Similar to Abarth, Alfa does not currently have an electric car on offer, with the first model slotted for a 2024 introduction.
Audi
Although not strictly 2030, Audi said it will not launch an internal-combustion-engine (ICE) vehicle after 2026 and expects to be a fully electric brand by 2033.
The manufacturer this year launched an array of new electric vehicles in South Africa under the “e-tron” banner – including coupes and SUVs – as one of the steps in this roadmap.
The local starting price for an electric Audi sits at R1,745,000.
Bentley
Bentley’s “Beyond 100” strategy entails the luxury automaker producing only plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and battery-electric (BEV) vehicles by 2026.
It plans to exclusively switch over to BEVs in 2030, as well as be an end-to-end carbon neutral organisation.
Currently, Bentley produces the Flying Spur Hybrid and Bentayga Hybrid, both models being introduced in 2021 as part of the electrification strategy.
Cadillac
Cadillac might not be available in South Africa, but when the builder of the infamous Escalade announces it is going electric, people tend to listen.
Cadillac CEO Rory Harvey told GearPatrol in 2021 that the manufacturer will be “leaving the decade as an EV brand” – ceasing ICE sales by 2030.
Jaguar
Jaguar is slated to go all-electric by 2025, the first brand in the Jaguar-Land Rover stable to do so.
Jaguar is known for its beautiful-sounding V8 powerplants, which will surely be missed.
However, the brand already has experience in the EV segment thanks to its I-Pace, which could aid in reducing hiccups during the transition.
Land Rover
Land Rover has also committed to going electric by 2030 but will follow a more measured approach than Jaguar.
The luxury-SUV powerhouse will introduce its first EV by 2024, with six electric Land Rovers/Range Rovers expected before 2026.
Lotus
Lotus wants to reaffirm itself as a serious player in the automotive world, and it’s looking toward the electric segment to achieve this.
By 2028, Lotus will have spent around R38 billion to ramp up production and it hopes to be a fully-electric brand by the end of that year, reports Reuters.
The Eletre, Lotus’ first “hyper electric SUV”, was also recently unveiled.
Maserati
Maserati will make a battery-powered counterpart for each of its model ranges by 2025 and aims to produce only EVs by 2030, said CEO Davide Grasso.
This is being done under the “Folgore” name, which translates to Lightning.
Maserati currently builds hybrid versions of most of its vehicles, as well as the hybrid MC20 supercar, while the first electric GranTurismo Folgore prototype also recently took to the streets.
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz announced in 2021 that it will be all-electric by 2030, but only “where market conditions allow,” writes The Verge.
This implies that in markets where EVs aren’t in huge demand at that time, Mercedes-Benz will still sell ICE cars.
Regardless of what it will sell, the manufacturer said it will spend R631 billion on electrifying its line-up and operations over the next decade.
Mini
Mini will unveil its final ICE vehicle by 2025, and hopes for 50% of its sales to be fully electric by 2027, reports EngineTechnologyInternational.
By 2030, Mini is expected to sell only electric cars.
Mini already produces the Cooper SE, which is the cheapest EV currently for sale in South Africa at a starting price of R709,400.
Rolls-Royce
Alongside the first teaser of its electric Spectre prototype, Rolls-Royce announced that it “will no longer be in the business of producing or selling any internal combustion engine products” by 2030.
This came as quite a shock, considering the marque is known for its brutish V12 motors that can send 2.5-tonne hunks of leather and metal to 100km/h in 4.5 seconds.
“We embark on this bold new future with a huge advantage. Electric drive is uniquely and perfectly suited to Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, more so than any other automotive brand,” said Rolls-Royce.
Volvo
Volvo is another manufacturer that aims to have half of its global sales by 2025 be accounted for by EVs, and by 2030 all its sales are expected to be EVs.
“The 2030 ambition represents an acceleration of Volvo Cars’ electrification strategy,” said Volvo.
“Driven by strong demand for its electrified cars in recent years and a firm conviction that the market for combustion engine cars is a shrinking one.”
The turnaround plan has already seen Volvo launch the all-electric XC40 P8 in South Africa, with the more affordable P6 hitting local showrooms soon.
Two new plug-in hybrid SUVs were also introduced not that long ago, in the form of the XC60 T8 and XC90 T8.
Keyword: The carmakers going all-electric before 2030