[Volvo XC40 News]

Electrification is the future when it comes to automobiles and not to be left behind, Volvo ‘s first production ready electric vehicle will be arriving next year.

Based on the 40.2 concept that was first shown in 2016, it will be the first of several electric vehicles Volvo is planning to offer. On the agenda are several electric, hybrid, and mild-hybrid vehicles with the first one joining the 40-badged family of models as a full electric car.

According to AutoCar, the production model will closely resemble other models in the ’40’ lineup. Meaning we can expect to see a coupé-like hatchback that looks similar to the outgoing XC40 and it should be sitting on Volvo’s new Compact Modular Architecture (CMA). What’s more, even the battery is modular, though Volvo has yet to decide what the minimum electric range will be.

Maybe it’ll mirror the concept’s range of 217 miles, or the electric car could travel for around 310 miles (500km), which is what R&D boss Henrik Green says they’re aiming for. More than 300 miles per charge could put Volvo’s offering on equal footing with the likes of Volkswagen’s ID electric line-up.

This number if what they’re currently aiming for, but that could change in a short amount of time. Green said: "it feels like every month we are updating the requirement, trying to add new competitive edges to the car because the technology is moving so fast now on a lot of areas, so it’s much more of a moving target.”

 

[eVolved]

Anything over 250 miles range will get me to buy for the simple reason that with how all the crazy weather I get will impact the range, even with 100-150 range daily in those conditions will leave me very happy. Any less than that and I will have to plan where to charge and for how long. I want to keep all my charging done at home

 

[revolvo]

Not sure about a full electric unless Volvo can really deliver on that 300 mile promise. Right now aside from Tesla, other electric vehicles don't really have a great design or all that many interior features. A Volvo XC40 EV can easily slot in if it has everything the ICE variant does and great range.

 

[Kalvin]

It seems like everyone just forgot about the C30 from like 5 years ago. I mean I know it was a limited production run and it has pretty terrible specs, but it was one of the first fully capable pure EV's. Its styling was certainly open to interpretation as well, but its obvious that Volvo has always seen the potential in electric cars.

 

[eVolved]

Not sure about a full electric unless Volvo can really deliver on that 300 mile promise. Right now aside from Tesla, other electric vehicles don't really have a great design or all that many interior features. A Volvo XC40 EV can easily slot in if it has everything the ICE variant does and great range.

Hybrid would really be the best way around it for mass appeal while waiting for the EV market and infrastructure to improve.
While that's happening if they really want to push an EV, do it under polestar in the hottest EV markets right now: ex. California.

 

[Kalvin]

Lol its like everyone just forgot about the Volvo c30. That was their first electric car, although it was produced in limited quantity and had pretty poor specs, it was one of the first of its kind. Volvo has show interest in the EV segment far before it became a trend. And I'm not sure I agree that the current electrics available don't have great design, hard to ignore how far the Nissan Leaf has come and its got some impressive sales figures. behind it. The second generation's redesign is a leap forward in styling.

 

[eVolved]

As someone patiently waiting on the XC40 EV to arrive, it's quite a relief to read that Volvo's UK Boss is at the helm.

Volvo UK boss: focus is electric XC40 and online sales
New MD Kristian Elvefors outlines his plans for the Swedish brand in the UK, but there's no date for the arrival of Volvo's subscription service

Volvo’s new UK boss has outlined a three-point plan focused on electric cars, boosting online sales and improving dealer profitability – while Brexit is lower down his priority list.

In his first interview since taking over in June, Kristian Elvefors said his first big challenge is to launch Volvo’s first all-electric model, a variant of the XC40, successfully in the UK from next year while exploiting the plug-in hybrid cars that Volvo now have on every bodystyle.

“We are very well placed with electrification and the XC40 will move us into a new, growing segment,” he said.

The XC40 is currently Volvo’s UK best-seller, taking over from the out-of-production V40, and the new plug-in hybrid and battery-electric models are likely to further strengthen the compact SUV’s position in Volvo’s UK line-up.

In the medium term, Volvo UK will work towards the corporate goal of 50% new car sales of electrified cars – hybrids and BEVs – by 2025, which will inevitably mean a bigger share of those models in the UK.

In his first four months in the job, Elvefors has seen how UK consumers are comfortable with online purchasing and sees an opportunity to broaden Volvo sales on the web. “We don’t do Ocado and Amazon in Sweden like you do here,” he said. “That must be an opportunity for us."

However, there is still no firm date to introduce Volvo’s subscription service Care By Volvo to the UK. Care By Volvo bundles all the costs of running a car, including insurance, into a single monthly payment, like a mobile phone contract.

“In Europe, we’re trialling it in Germany and the Netherlands,” he said. “If you can make it work in Germany, you can make it work anywhere. But we have to see how it goes before it comes to the UK.”

Although Elvefors says Volvo is “prepared for Brexit”, he feels that there is enough uncertainty to remain tight-lipped about Volvo’s end-of-year UK sales.

The short-term aim is 60,000 units by 2020 and Volvo already reached 30,000 new car sales in the first half of the year, but a couple of tough months post-Brexit at the end of October, if it happens, could knock the numbers back. “All I can say is that we are happy with our sales volume numbers,” said Elvefors.

Elvefors has switched jobs with Volvo UK’s former boss Jon Wakefield and must now keep UK sales percolating while Wakefield has a chance to move Sweden back ahead of the UK.
Much of Elvefors' perspective on the UK market is framed by his successful stint overseeing Volvo’s Swedish sales – where he increased market share to 20.6% and recovered the company’s market position.

Increasing fleet sales might be a card Elvefors could play. He’s not planning a blitz on daily rentals, but sees the fleet mix in the UK, about 22%, well behind Sweden, where it’s around 72%.
Another approach will be to encourage UK dealers to bring services that they currently outsource in-house. “I want us to capture more of the profits from this sort of business,” Elvefors said.

source: https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/industry/volvo-uk-boss-focus-electric-xc40-and-online-sales