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• Volvo fans have anxiously been awaiting the arrival of the all-electric XC40 Recharge.
• The new EV will launch during the second half of 2021.
• The XC40 is the first of five fully electric cars to be launched by the automaker over the next five years.
• For more motoring stories, go to Wheels24.
The Volvo XC40 Recharge Pure Electric – the first all-electric car from the Swedish luxury brand – will be launched in South Africa in the second half of 2021.
This all-electric sport utility vehicle (SUV) has already demonstrated strong sales internationally. Thousands of orders were placed for the XC40 Recharge even before the formal start of sales in Europe last year.
By the start of production in the company's Ghent, Belgium, plant on October 1 last year, every car scheduled to be built that calendar year had already been sold.
According to Greg Maruszewski, Managing Director at Volvo Car South Africa, the XC40 Recharge Pure Electric can travel more than 400km on a single charge. "It can be charged to 80% of its battery capacity in as little as 40 minutes using a fast charger," he reveals.
The XC40 Recharge will deliver brisk performance, with its twin electric motors producing 304kW of power and 660Nm of torque to deliver a 0-100km/h time of just 4.9 seconds. While pleasing in the area of performance, the car scores highly in the field of practicality too. For instance, the lack of an internal combustion engine frees up space for an additional 30-litre storage compartment – or 'frunk' – under the front bonnet. At the same time, the placement of the batteries under the centre of the car means space is not compromised elsewhere.
We know our Wheels24 readers have been eagerly anticipating news of the Volvo XC40 being available locally. Is this an electric vehicle you would consider buying? Please email us your thoughts, or use the comments section below.
The XC40 is the first of five fully electric cars to be launched by the Swedish company over the next five years.
"Volvo Cars will launch a fully electric car every year, as we look to make all-electric cars 50% of global sales by 2025, with the rest hybrids. Recharge will be the overarching name for all chargeable Volvos with a fully electric and plug-in hybrid powertrain," Maruszewski explains.
The launch of the XC40 Recharge is a significant step towards Volvo Cars' ambition to reduce its CO2 footprint per car by 40% by 2025. "That same year, it expects 50% of its global sales to consist of fully electric cars, with the rest hybrids. But in 2030, the company aims only to build electric cars," he elaborates.
Maruszewski believes that the XC40 Recharge will find favour in South Africa. "South Africans are already firm fans of the internal combustion engine-powered XC40; it had an 8.40% share of its segment in 2019; that grew to 14.70% in 2020. We look forward to bringing the huge benefits of electric driving – and more – to an already award-winning package," he concludes.
