Volvo EX30 EV promises low price, fast starts

Volvo's "small but mighty" first subcompact SUV will not only be the brand's most affordable model -- with a starting price of 36,590 euros in Germany -- it will also be its quickest.

That combination is one of the reasons Volvo CEO Jim Rowan is confident that the EX30 will play a key role in helping the automaker achieve its 2025 targets of boosting global sales 95 percent compared with last year to 1.2 million, with half of those models being full electric.

He said Wednesday that Volvo expects the EX30 to be one of the brand's best-sellers in the coming years and that it will "significantly contribute to our growth and profitability objectives."

Volvo wants to increase its operating profit margin into the 8 to 10 percent range by mid-decade compared with about 7 percent last year.

Order books open

Volvo on Wednesday began taking orders for the EX30 in Europe and the United States, with other markets to follow later. Deliveries of the car are set to start in early 2024.

"We like to say the EX30 is small yet mighty, because it delivers on everything you would want from a Volvo but in a smaller package," Rowan said Wednesday during the car's debut.

The top-performing version of the full-electric EX30 will go 0 to 100 kph (0-62 mph) in 3.6 seconds, making it Volvo's fastest-accelerating car.

That performance comes from the EX30 variant that pairs a lithium, nickel, manganese and cobalt (NMC) battery with electric motors on the front and rear axles.

The all-wheel-drive variant will offer 422 hp of power from its 69-kilowatt-hour battery and two motors (154 hp on the front axle and 268 hp on the rear). The model provides 523 newton meters of torque. The range will be 460 km (286 miles), according to preliminary tests under the WLTP standard, while its charging capacity of up to 153 kW means the battery can be boosted to 80 percent from 10 percent in less than 27 minutes.

For customers who value range over performance, Volvo will offer a variant with the 69-kWh battery and one motor, on the rear axle, that is estimated to provide up 268 hp of power and a driving range of 480 km.

The base version of the EX30, which will offered for 599 euros a month under the Care by Volvo subscription plan in Europe, will provide 344 km of range from its 51-kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery. It will be the first Volvo to offer LFP battery chemistry.

Last November Rowan said Volvo would be able to keep the cost of the EX30 down by using a shared platform and by eyeing LFP batteries for its entry model. As a result, the EX30's starting price in Germany undercuts the Opel Mokka Electric small SUV by more than 3,600 euros (see chart, above).

The EX30's other full-electric rivals include its China-made platform mate, the Smart #1 (both are underpinned by the Sustainable Experience Architecture, or SEA), MG4, MG ZS EV and Opel/Vauxhall Mokka Electric.

In Europe, the EX30 will also compete against models such as the combustion-driven Audi Q2, Mini Countryman, DS 3 Crossback as well as the Lexus LBX hybrid that was revealed earlier this week.

Francesco Speciale, who oversees the EX30's market strategy, said the platform utilization "across many more cars enables a cost efficiency for EX30."

An aero design, meanwhile, allowed for a smaller, less expensive battery without compromising the EX30's driving range. A low hood and air curtains up front combined with a roof drop in the rear reduce drag and boost energy efficiency.

Next year, Volvo will bring more rugged looks to the EX30 with a lifted Cross Country variant, tricked out with skidplates, black panels on the front bumper and trunk lid, and a small hood-mounted Swedish flag.

Crucial safety systems

The EX30 will be Volvo's first model to offer a door-opening alert, warning people inside the car via visual and audio cues if they are about to open the door in front of a passing cyclist or other traffic user.

The system will be part of the EX30's standard safety equipment.

So-called dooring accidents account for up to one-fifth of all reported bike accidents in some cities. According to Cycling UK, 60 people on average are killed or seriously injured by car doors each year in the U.K. alone.

Volvo will be the second member of the Zhejiang Geely Holding Group to offer the technology after the Smart #1.

The EX30's other standard safety features include a driver alert system with a sensor behind the steering wheel that detects eye and face movements about 13 times per second.

The system looks for signs that the driver is distracted, drowsy or otherwise inattentive and provides a warning.

Greenest EV in the lineup

The EX30 will also be Volvo's greenest electric vehicle yet.

Since announcing in 2019 that it wanted to a climate neutral company by 2040, Volvo Cars has been looking for ways to slash its life cycle carbon footprint.

By tackling emissions across the EX30's entire production and life cycle Volvo says it has reduced the small SUV's total carbon footprint over 200,000 km of driving to less than 30 metric tons.

That is 25 percent below the carbon footprints of the C40 and XC40 EVs.

Volvo aims to cut its overall CO2 emissions per car by 40 percent to 31.8 tons of CO2 per car by 2025 from 53 tons in 2018.

In addition, about 17 percent of all plastics in the car, from interior components to exterior bumpers, are recycled -- the highest percentage in any Volvo car to date.

The Volvo EX30 will be built in Zhangjiakou, China, at a factory primarily powered by climate-neutral energy, including 100 percent climate-neutral electricity, Volvo said, adding that 95 percent of the SUV's Tier 1 suppliers have committed to using 100 percent renewable energy in their production by 2025.

Volvo also said the EX30's so-called cradle-to-grave CO2 impact is estimated at 18 metric tons compared with 26.5 tons for the C40.

Simpler, more efficient tech

Volvo designed and engineered the EX30 to minimize cost without sacrificing premium-ness.

"We have prioritized what is important for the brand," said Akhil Krishnan, Volvo's head of small car programs. "Instead of taking cost away from the interactive surfaces and materials, we have taken cost away from electronics and technology by making them simpler and more efficient."

Volvo consolidated the front door speakers into a sound bar underneath the windshield and moved the window switches to the center console. That boosted door storage capacity and trimmed manufacturing cost and complexity.

Following Tesla’s lead, Volvo ditched the instrument cluster. It moved critical driving information such as speed and range levels to a 12.3-inch infotainment display running the Google-services-powered Android Automotive operating system.

"The core theme is centralization," Speciale said. "We have centralized a lot of elements that would normally drive cost in a higher segment car."

The center console maximizes versatility with a sliding system to accommodate different-sized items, such as a handbag or smartphone.

Urvaksh Karkaria contributed