By
Svetlana Soroka
April 18th, 2024
Volvo Cars introduced its first electric car the XC40 Recharge, which is an important step in the company’s shift way to electrification.
Recently Volvo Cars introduced its first electric car dubbed the XC240 recharge. This indicates that the company is looking forward to moving from mechanical only cars to electric cars which are becoming in vogue in recent times. In a series of firsts, the XC240 recharge is unique in its own right as a car. It is not only the first electric car made by the carmaker, it is also the first car in Volvo’s brand to have its onboard entertainment system to be based on Google’s Android.
As also the premier brand on the recharge brand which was introduced earlier this week will be the generic name for all cars which are electric, rechargeable and have hybrid engines of one sort or the other running under the hood. The XC240 is so named after the popular XC240 SUV which stole many hearts and minds but it isn’t a copy of the SUV.
With an all-wheel-drive powertrain, a battery that has a capacity of 78 Kilowatt-hours with a travel range of up to 400 kilometers on one charge and an electric motor with a capacity of 408 horsepower and 442 pound-feet worth of torque, the engine poised to go from 0-60 mph in 4.8 seconds definitely is set to pass the Worldwide harmonized light vehicle test procedure (WLTP) which is the European standard for emissions.
With the European markets as its primary markets, the XC240 recharge is set to take top place against other brands that are currently scrambling for the electric vehicle markets such as the Tesla Model 3, Kia Niro, Chevy Bolt, and Hyundai Kona.
It also puts heat on the traditionally European car manufacturers most of which have just produced their first-generation electric car models which haven’t received great market reception just yet (the Mercedes Benz EQC 400 4Matic and the BMW’s concept Vision M Next are a case in point). This puts Volvo cars traditionally in the lead in a market that is already environmentally aware and is forward-thinking in tandem with the government’s policies, procedures, and practices as well.
It also bodes well for the goal of Volvo cars to become a climate-neutral company by 2040. This also indicates that the company’s plan to introduce an all-electric car into the market from this year and every year until 2025 to be sound in itself. This doesn’t mean however that the company is ending its gas-powered business altogether. According to sources plans are underway to combine the businesses of Volvo cars and Geely Holdings which is its parent company into one business unit.
“So we believe we will bring sustainability into our company, not as something to add on, because it’s good or something that is expected for us,” indicated Volvo Group CEO Håkan Samuelsson.
“We bring it into the company because we think it’s really good for our business. It will make our company grow faster, it will make our company stronger, exactly as safety made Volvo stronger,” he continued.
Note: Volvo Group is the publicly traded entity owned in part by Geely Holdings while Volvo Cars a privately-held entity (owned by Geely Holdings as well).