The second of Volvo’s all-new electric EX models, the EX30, has been penned-in for unveiling on 15 June as the brand’s new entry-level electric model below the XC40 Recharge.
On the drawing board since 2019, albeit then in “XC” guise as the still-born XC30, the EX30, despite growing speculation, is not expected to directly replace the entire XC40 lineage as it will be significantly smaller dimensionally and with a less powerful electric drivetrain.
Important newcomer
Described towards the end of last year by Volvo CEO Jim Rowan as a “really important car for us”, the EX30 will not only undercut the XC40 on price, but help the Chinese-owned Swedish automaker achieve it’s target of obtaining a 50/50 sales split between hybrid, mild-hybrid and fully electric vehicles by 2025.
The marque has already started its transitioning towards becoming a manufacturer solely of electric vehicles by 2030 as last year saw it officially abandoning diesel in favour of mild-hybrid versions of its 2.0-litre Drive-E petrol engine.
“The age demographic that we have at Volvo is a lot older than we would like; we’d like to get some more younger people into the brand. [EX30] will be a really nice price point I think for an entry point – very safe, decent range, good size still but smaller than the XC40,” Rowan told Australia’s carsales.com.au last month.
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In a related interview with Britain’s Autocar this month, Rowan added that the EX30 has been designed around a subscription basis in order to further attract a younger audience more keen on “hiring” a vehicle than purchasing it outright.
EX90 elements
While little about the EX30 continues to be known at present, it is expected to ride on the same Scalable Production Architecture (SPA) as the EX90, now called SPA2, which has been designed solely with electrification in-mind and without the ability to accommodate an internal combustion power unit.
Unlike the EX90, the EX30 will be a strict five-seater and have considerably less power than it’s sibling 380kW/910Nm. Also set to be lower is the claimed range that currently stands at 600km in the EX90.
South Africa a possibility
Once on-sale, the EX30 could well be earmarked for South African introduction as the EX90 appears on the cards as soon as production commences in 2024.
Should approval be given, it will become Volvo’s fourth all-electric model after the P6 and P8 Recharge versions of the XC40 and the C40 Recharge that will go on-sale in June this year.
While an announcement by Volvo Car South Africa hasn’t been so far made, chances are that a statement could be made at some stage this year.
