Volvo wants to be a 100% electric brand from the year 2030. For this reason, in the coming years, it will launch a complete product offensive that will include sedans, family cars, crossovers, SUVs… In addition, the Swedish manufacturer will also enter categories in which it had not had a presence until now.
And it is that the company plans to launch a fully electric B-SUV to compete against models such as the Jeep Avenger or the MINI Aceman. This SUV will receive the trade name EX30 and will be one step below the current XC40 Recharge and C40 Recharge. Unlike its siblings, it will use a dedicated platform, not multi-energy.
The selected architecture will be the SEA of the Geely group, Volvo’s parent company. This base is also used in smart #1 (remember that Geely owns 50% of the German firm); in fact, both models will be twins, so we can expect them to have quite similar dimensions and technical specifications.
The smart #1 measures 4.27 meters long and is currently only available in a single version, which combines a 272 hp (200 kW) motor coupled to the rear axle with a 66 kWh capacity battery pack that gives you 440 km WLTP of autonomy. It can charge at a maximum of 150 kW of power in direct current (10-80% in 30 minutes).
The Volvo EX30 will be launched in 2023-2024
In the short term, the range will be completed with the arrival of a Brabus version, which will add a second propeller on the front axle, raising the combined power to 428 hp (315 kW). Thanks to this powertrain, the smart #1 Brabus will be able to complete the 0 to 100 km/h sprint in just 3.9 seconds, making it the fastest model in its category.
Neither the battery nor the charging power will vary in the Brabus, although its autonomy will probably suffer due to the greater consumption of the mechanical assembly. It is confirmed that under the Chinese CLTC cycle it will homologate about 500 km of range; however, at the moment the figure it will achieve under the European WLTP cycle is unknown.
It is highly likely that, like the smart #1, the Volvo EX30 will be made in China, where the MINI Aceman, which will ultimately become one of its main rivals, will also be assembled. From an aesthetic point of view, we can expect it to be closer to the crossover silhouette of the C40 Recharge than to the SUV shapes of the XC40 Recharge.
