Volvo Cars delivered 164,663 cars globally in the three months from May to July 2026, a 4 per cent drop against the same rolling period a year earlier. The Swedish maker points to a sharp market downturn in China as the main drag, offset in part by a double-digit recovery in the United States and steady growth in Europe. Electrified models were the bright spot, rising 15 per cent to take 53 per cent of total sales.

Volvo Cars has published its rolling three-month sales figures for the period ending July 2026. Global deliveries reached 164,663 cars between May and July, down from 171,953 in the same three months of 2025 — a decline of 4 per cent.

China weighs on an otherwise steadier picture

The headline decline masks diverging regional trends. According to the company, US sales rose by a double-digit margin for the third consecutive month, while European deliveries held up with moderate growth. The overall result was pulled down by what Volvo describes as a market downturn in China. The company did not publish a regional volume breakdown alongside the figures.

Electrified cars now more than half of sales

Fully electric and plug-in hybrid models together accounted for 87,464 cars, up 15 per cent year on year and equal to 53 per cent of everything Volvo sold in the period. Fully electric cars grew fastest, up 21 per cent to 44,243 units and 27 per cent of the total, while plug-in hybrids rose 9 per cent to 43,221 units and 26 per cent.

The flipside is the combustion side of the range: mild hybrid and pure combustion models fell 19 per cent to 77,199 cars. For context, Volvo sold more than 710,000 cars across the whole of 2025 with an electrified share of 46 per cent — so the mix has shifted several points further towards plugs in the space of a year.

The EX60 is still to come

Volvo credits its smaller electric models for holding the European line, and says the numbers were achieved before its next big launch reaches customers.

“We are encouraged by the recovery in the US as the overall industry is gaining momentum. Our performance in Europe also remains resilient, driven by the fully electric cars, the EX30 and EX40. In addition, we are maintaining pricing discipline in Europe and have seen a sustained increase in retail orders for our fully electric cars. We delivered this performance without the game-changing EX60 and are now gearing up to gradually ramp up production and increase customer deliveries in the second half of the year,” said Erik Severinson, Chief Commercial Officer at Volvo Cars.

What it means

A 53 per cent electrified share puts Volvo well ahead of most mainstream European rivals on plug-in mix, and the 21 per cent jump in fully electric sales suggests demand for the EX30 and EX40 is holding without heavy discounting — Volvo explicitly says it is protecting pricing in Europe rather than chasing volume. The harder question is China, where the company gives no figures of its own and where price competition has squeezed several established importers.

Facts: Volvo Cars, May–July 2026

  • Total sales: 164,663 cars (171,953 in 2025), −4%
  • Electrified models: 87,464 (76,123), +15% — 53% of total
  • Fully electric: 44,243 (36,576), +21% — 27% of total
  • Plug-in hybrid: 43,221 (39,547), +9% — 26% of total
  • Mild hybrid / combustion: 77,199 (95,830), −19%

Volvo says production of the EX60 will be ramped up gradually, with customer deliveries increasing in the second half of the year.

Source: news.cision.com