End of production of Seven Marine gunboats
While the communication on Seven Marine's high-powered outboard engines remained discreet, mainly oriented towards the US market, the management of Volvo Penta still indicated at a press conference on 26 October 2020 "to continue the integration of Seven Marine into the Volvo Group". The process will have taken a long time... At the beginning of November, the Swedish leader in marine engines, announced the gradual phasing out of the American outboard brand, three years after its takeover in July 2017. Sales and marketing will be stopped on January 1st, 2021. Production will stop after the last orders have been fulfilled, while Volvo Penta commits to honour warranties and the supply of spare parts for existing engines.
The sustainable boat, at the heart of the strategy
Volvo Penta justifies this abandonment by a general strategic choice oriented towards ecological transition. Proclaiming its ambition to become a zero-emission company by 2050, and a member of the Science Based Targets initiative, a network of companies with shared environmental goals, the engine manufacturer is focusing its economic and human resources on the development of its electric and hybrid solutions and alternative fuels. "We want to send a clear message. Volvo Penta expects that the outboard segment will continue to be significant in the recreational marine market, but we believe that the undisputed need to lead the way in sustainable technology must remain our main objective," says Mellquist.
