Volvo will unveil the new entry-level electric compact crossover, called the EX30, next month – with the machine set to be key to a major push to secure younger customers.
The new machine was teased during the launch of the massive EX90 electric SUV last year, and the Swedish firm has now confirmed it will pull the covers off the new model on June 7. It will also be available to pre-order in selected markets from that date onwards.
The EX30 will be Volvo's fourth full electric model, joining the recently updated XC40 Recharge and C40 Recharge, and the EX90. and will likely be the smallest Volvo since the V40 hatch went out of production.
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Volvo has been coy on details so far, but has confirmed that the new model will take the EX30 name in production, following the lead set by its big brother. But while the EX90 is an electric successor to the XC90 SUV, the EX30 will be an entirely new model type for Volvo.
Sitting beneath the XC40 in the firm's line-up – so think a rival to the Mercedes-Benz EQA or Jeep Avenger – the EX30 will use a new electric platform based on the ‘open source’ SEA architecture from parent firm Geely. That can accept batteries with up to 100kWh of storage, giving a range of 435 miles, and charge at speeds of up to 360kW.
The SEA platform is also heavily software-focused with the ability to offer services on demand and over-the-air updates. While Volvo boss Jim Rowan would not be drawn on the new model at the launch of the EX90 he did note that the firm was working on “another platform that takes us into full core computing and takes us into lower cost”, noting that it could help achieve price parity between EVs and combustion-engined models.
Rowan also hinted that the new model would target a much younger audience than is usual for Volvo, aiming at an urban-focused ‘Gen Z’ demographic. He hinted that would mean a heavy focus on offering the machine on a monthly subscription packages through the Care by Volvo service, helping to remove potential barriers to entry for younger buyers.
Volvo EX90 is a super-size, super-smart electric SUV
Volvo bosses wouldn’t be drawn on what models would follow the EX90 and the 2023 small SUV. Last year, the firm previewed a ‘mid-decade electric portfolio’ that featured seven models, including the forthcoming smaller machine.
At the EX90 launch Rowan added that firm’s line-up would remain “tight”, saying “we’ll look after the demographic that we think makes sense.”
There have been questions over the future of Volvo’s estate and saloon line-up. Sales of its combustion-engined versions have dipped in recent years due to the popularity of SUVs. But while the firm’s early EV efforts are focused on higher-riding models, Rowan hinted that electric versions of saloons and estates could come – eventually.
“Suffice to say we play across all the spectrums and range, and we have customers who require different vehicles, and different uses for vehicles,” he said. “We’ll try and make sure that we can capture as much of that as we possibly can.
“We’ve teased what’s coming next, and we’d already signalled we’d do a smaller SUV. Then different formats, saloons and estates or whatever, we’ll get to that when we get to that.”
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