For Volvo, the time has come to go electric for good. Until then, the brand, which is committed to getting ahead of the call by abandoning the thermal engine from 2030, had converted conventional models by adding batteries. This time, the Swedish manufacturer controlled by the Chinese group Geely is launching the EX30, an SUV designed on a specific platform, which it shares in particular with the latest generation Smart cars.
This model with contained dimensions (4.23 meters) should quickly become the most widely available of the entire range and allow Volvo to extend, in the electric era, the furrow which has allowed it to establish itself as a chic manufacturer , progressive and clean on him. The exterior style creates a compact silhouette. The front part is distinguished by the claimed absence of a grille, and the rear by a dynamic tailgate cutout. A new approach, but which does not break with the canons of beauty defined by the designers of Gothenburg.
Like all new electric models, the ambition of this car is to pose as a credible substitute for Tesla. Volvo is no exception, which has chosen to occupy a very active segment – that of small SUVs – where battery-powered vehicles are, curiously, still not very present. Above all, we note that the Swedish firm did not seek to circumvent the obstacle. Unlike the German or French competition, it does not take the opposite view from Elon Musk’s firm, which founded its success by departing from traditional automobile codes and by designing an extremely stripped-down interior.
Quite aggressive pricing positioning
No doubt, Tesla has established itself as the central reference for the new Volvo. The EX30 also offers two types of batteries, using LFP (lithium, iron, phosphate) chemistry, less efficient but inexpensive, for the entry-level version (51 kilowatt hours, 344 kilometers of autonomy). The high version receives NMC cells (lithium, nickel, manganese, cobalt) with a capacity of 69 kWh for 480 kilometers of autonomy, and it can be equipped with two motors.
A little less elitist than the rest of the catalog, the price positioning (from 37,500 euros) of the EX30 is intended to be quite aggressive, like the strategy developed by the American manufacturer now based in Austin (Texas). An obligation, in fact, given the origins of this model produced in China and therefore condemned to ignore the ecological bonus. The situation seems transitional since it is planned to transfer, from 2025, production intended for Europe to the Belgian factory in Ghent.
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