All-Electric Volvo XC40 To Premiere Before The End Of The Year

An all-electric version of the Volvo XC40 is in the works and it will premiere before the end of the year. The Swedish car manufacturer made the announcement during a recent safety event in its home city of Gothenburg, Auto News reports.

Underpinning the current XC40 is the company’s Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) and the electric version will retain this platform. The CMA is also used by the Lynk & Co 01, 02, and 03 sold in China that will, nevertheless, also make it to overseas markets.

Volvo has been a strong advocate of hybrids in recent years but has yet to launch an all-electric production model. The XC40’s electric version will be the automaker’s first, joining the Tesla Model 3-rivalling Polestar 2 from Volvo’s electrified performance brand.

The Volvo XC40 was unveiled towards the end of 2017 and has quickly established itself as the carmaker’s second best-selling model globally, trailing only the larger XC60. If priced competitively, the all-electric XC40 could be sold in impressive numbers when it hits the roads by 2020.

Volvo wants all-electric cars to account for 50 per cent of its global sales by 2025 and the XC40 will obviously play an extremely important role in making that happen.

Before the EV arrives, though, Volvo will have two plug-in hybrid versions of its compact SUV in its range. The XC40 is currently offered in T5 Twin Engine trim with a 1.5-liter three-cylinder petrol engine and a battery sending power to an electric motor, while a T4 Twin Engine is also on the agenda. Volvo expects PHEVs to account for up to 25 per cent of global sales in the model lines which offer them by the end of the year.