Volvo Cars has confirmed that all new vehicles launched from 2019 onwards will feature an electric motor, as it seeks to blaze a trail for electrification in the coming decade. The move will see Volvo unveil a new portfolio of electrified road vehicles, fully embracing wholly electric, plug-in hybrid and mild-hybrid models. Three of the next five electric cars launched between 2019 and 2021 will be manufactured by Volvo, while the other two will be launched under the umbrella of Polestar, the performance car arm of the Swedish car manufacturer. These new vehicles will be supplemented by a new and exciting range of diesel plug-in and petrol plug-in hybrid and mild-hybrid 48-volt options on all of its latest models. Although there will be an increased focus on electrification _ with one million electric cars hoping to be sold by 2025 _ Volvo will still be manufacturing earlier models with pure combustion engines. Hakan Samuelsson, chief executive, Volvo's car-making division, said: 'This announcement marks the end of the solely combustion engine-powered car. 'People increasingly demand electrified cars, and we want to respond to our customers' current and future needs.î Tim Urquhart, principal analyst, IHS Automotive, admits that while the announcement is 'significantî it is ground-breaking 'only in a small wayî. 'The hybrids they are promising to make might be mild hybrids, anything as basic as a stop-start system,î said Urquhart. 'However, Volvo are probably looking at something more sophisticated than that, but we don't know what as yet. It is not something that moves the goalposts hugely.î Numerous other leading car manufacturers have outlined ambitious plans for electric cars, underpinned by grants from governments, which see them as a vital cog in the wheel of tackling climate change. Professor David Bailey, automotive expert, Aston University predicted: 'By the mid-2020s I expect there to be a tipping point where the electric car starts to outcompete the internal combustion engine. It's the way it's going. 'We have to decarbonise the transport system, and the shift to electric cars is part of that. 'Even with the current energy mix, in terms of how we generate electricity, there will be a benefit in CO2, let alone the shift to further renewables.î