The first allocation in Australia of the all-electric Volvo XC40 Recharge is already exhausted, Volvo has confirmed with The Driven.
Available for order in Australia from July at a starting price of $76,990 before on-road costs, the XC40 Recharge is a smart SUV that has clearly struck a chord with drivers.
“The entire initial allocation of hundreds is spoken for,” Volvo’s spokesperson told The Driven in a note.
However, those wanting to place orders will still be able to sit behind the wheel by early 2022.
“New orders placed from today are planned for arrival during February 2022,” they added.
It is the Swedish-Chinese automaker’s first electric vehicle in Australia, having proclaimed in March that internal combustion vehicles have “no future” and set a target of 100% electric vehicles by 2030.
Although at the higher end of the XC40 range (the top-of-the-line petrol-powered XC40 starts at $56,990 before on-roads), the price of the all-electric XC40 Recharge falls within the threshold for the NSW government’s stamp duty waiver for electric vehicles, which will took effect on September 1.
It is joined by a plug-in hybrid variant available for $69,990 before on-roads.
The XC40 Recharge is offered in only one configuration, with a predicted 418km driving range from its 78kWh battery and a plethora of Volvo safety systems.
The all-electric SUV’s dual 150kW motors will produce a more than zippy power output of 300kW, while 660Nm torque means acceleration from a standstill to 100km/h will take just 4.9 seconds.
The XC40 Recharge can go from empty to 80 percent in 40 minutes when charged at a DC station, and while Volvo Australia has not defined the AC “slow charge” rate, global specifications imply a maximum rate of 3.7kW.
Sitting in the mid-range pricing spectrum for electric vehicles, it is in direct competition to the Mercedes-Benz EQA compact electric SUV which sells from $76,800 before on-roads.
Volvo’s all-electric offshoot Polestar is also readying to introduce the Polestar 2 in Australia.
While local pricing has not yet been announced, European pricing from 45,500 euros (about $A73,000 converted) and three variants including a single-motor short-range and a single or dual-motor long-range was revealed at the Munich motor show on Tuesday.
Bridie Schmidt is associate editor for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018, and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emissions transport has to play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is co-organiser of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model Y and has it available for hire on evee.com.au.