Volvo has announced that every car it builds in two years time will be electric powered. 

The Swedish company, now Chinese owned, which has dealerships in Gloucester and Cheltenham, has said that every model it launches from 2019 will have an electric motor.

It marks the historic end of cars that only have an internal combustion engine (ICE) and places electrification at the core of its future business.

President and chief executive Håkan Samuelsson said: "This is about the customer, people increasingly demand electrified cars and we want to respond to our customers' current and future needs.

"You can now pick and choose whichever electrified Volvo you wish."

Volvo Cars will introduce a portfolio of electrified cars across its model range, embracing fully electric cars, plug in hybrid cars and mild hybrid cars.

It will launch five fully electric cars between 2019 and 2021, three of which will be Volvo models and two of which will be high performance electrified cars from Polestar, Volvo Cars' performance car arm.

These five cars will be supplemented by a range of petrol and diesel plug in hybrid and mild hybrid 48 volt options on all models.

Mr Samuelsson said: "This announcement marks the end of the solely combustion engine-powered car, Volvo Cars has stated that it plans to have sold a total of one million electrified cars by 2025.

"When we said it we meant it, this is how we are going to do it."

The decision also follows this month's announcement that Volvo Cars will turn Polestar into a new separately-branded electrified global high performance car company.

Thomas Ingenlath, senior vice president of design at Volvo Cars will lead Polestar as Chief Executive Officer.