Volvo Cars reports best ever first half year sales in 2021

Volvo Cars reported its strongest first half year sales in the first six months of 2021 as it sold 380,757 cars globally, an increase of 41.0 per cent compared with the same period last year.

The overall sales increase was driven by strong demand in China, the US and Europe, all of which reported double-digit growth compared to the same period last year, when market conditions were affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

For the month of June, Volvo Cars sold 68,224 cars globally, up 11.0 per cent compared with the same month last year.

For the first six months of 2021, the number of Volvo cars sold online increased more than fivefold compared to the same period in 2020. The overall increase was driven by rising customer demand in combination with a broadened offer in more markets.

Volvo Cars’ Recharge line-up of chargeable models, with a fully electric or plug-in hybrid powertrain, remained popular among customers and accounted for 24.6 per cent of all Volvo cars sold globally during the first six months of the year. Compared to the first half of 2020, the share of Recharge models increased with nearly 150 per cent.

US sales reached 63,754 cars in the first six months, up 47.4 per cent compared to the same period last year. The company’s SUV line-up, led by the XC60, XC90 and the XC40, remained popular in the region, contributing to the volume growth for the period.  In June, US sales rose by 18.0 per cent to 12,258 cars.

Sales in China reached 95,252 cars in the first half, an increase of 44.9 per cent compared to the same period in 2020. Sales for the month of June came in at 16,680 cars, up 10.4 per cent.

For the first six months, European sales grew by 35.4 per cent to 166,822 sold cars, compared to the same period in 2020 which was affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The increase for the period was mainly led by a strong performance in the United Kingdom. In June, European sales ended up at 28,695 cars, up 1.3 per cent.