Sandton could see a new beauty on the block as the Volvo XC40 Recharge Pure Electric – the first all-electric car from the Swedish vehicle manufacturer – will be launched in South Africa in the second half of 2021. The XC40 Recharge promises a brisk performance, with its twin electric motors producing 304 kW (408 hp) of power and 660 Nm of torque to deliver a 0-100 km/h time of just 4.9 seconds. Those not only looking for performance will be happy to know that the car also scores well in the field of practicality too.
- The Volvo XC40 Recharge Pure Electric is capable of traveling 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.
- The lack of an internal combustion engine frees up space for an additional 30-litre storage compartment – or ‘frunk’ – under the front bonnet.
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The XC40 is the first of five fully electric cars to be launched by the Swedish company over the next five years. Owners will be able to charge the vehicle at a dealership, at home or at one of the ever-growing network of public charging stations. Volvo Car South Africa is also rolling out an extensive network of charging stations at its dealerships and, by the end of 2021, each Volvo dealership will have a charging station.
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.
// Managing Director at Volvo Car South Africa, Greg Maruszewski
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 2030, the company aims to only build electric cars.
// Managing Director at Volvo Car South Africa, Greg Maruszewski
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 1 October 2020, every car scheduled to be built that calendar year had already been sold.
Volvo dealers will start taking orders for the XC40 Recharge in April. Deliveries will commence in August. The price of the XC40 Recharge will be confirmed later this month.
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