Volvo Cars starts XC40 Recharge production

Production has begun on the Volvo XC40 Recharge, the first of several fully electric Volvos to come.

The first pure EV will be a welcome addition to the range, Volvo NZ general manager Coby Duggan says.

He says at the end of August the total EV fleet in New Zealand had grown by 37% compared to the same time last year, according to latest industry figures.

“Despite the impact of the COVID pandemic on vehicle sales, the New Zealand EV fleet size has seen significant growth and pure light EVs have become increasingly popular, particularly among private buyers,” Duggan says.

“With the XC40 already our most popular model, we are anticipating strong demand for the fully electric XC40 Recharge when the first examples land here late next year.”

Duggan says New Zealand pricing and specification for the XC40 Recharge will be confirmed closer to the launch date.

Customer demand for the XC40 Recharge has been strong and while order books remain open, every car scheduled to be built this calendar year has already been sold.

The first cars are scheduled to be delivered to customers in Europe later this month.

The Ghent plant in Belgium has built a limited number of pre-production cars.

This process, standard procedure for every new model, aims to optimise the production flow and ensure top-notch quality of every car built.

All relevant production staff have also received extensive training on safely building electric cars.

“It’s a momentous occasion for Volvo Cars and for all employees here in Ghent,” global industrial operations and quality head Javier Varela says.

As a fully electric version of the best-selling XC40 SUV, the first Volvo to win the European Car of the Year award, the XC40 Recharge is based on the Compact Modular Architecture (CMA), an advanced vehicle platform co-developed within the Geely Group.

The all-wheel drive XC40 Recharge offers a projected range of more than 400km (WLTP) on a single charge and output of 408hp.

The battery can fast charge to 80% of its capacity in about 40 minutes.

The new, Android-powered infotainment system offers customers unprecedented personalisation, improved levels of intuitiveness and embedded Google technology and services, such as the Google Assistant, Google Maps and the Google Play Store.

The XC40 Recharge also receives larger software and operating system updates over the air.

Volvo Cars safety engineers have redesigned and reinforced the frontal structure to address the absence of an engine and meet Volvo’s high safety requirements.

The battery pack is protected by a safety cage embedded in the middle of the car’s body structure. lowers the centre of gravity for better protection against roll-overs.

Drivers have plenty of storage space, such as in the doors and the trunk. Because it has no internal combustion engine, the car gives drivers even more storage space via a ‘frunk’ under the front hood.