- Volvo is testing a Cross Country version of the EX30 electric SUV.
- The mostly aesthetic package includes skid plates and black trim.
- Volvo previewed the XC in 2023, but the debut was pushed to ’25.
Volvo is dusting off its Cross Country badge to add some overlanding appeal to its little EX30. These new spy shots show a gnarlier-looking version of the junior electric SUV testing in the snow ahead of a launch in the first half of this year.
The Cross Country badge first appeared in the mid-1990s, when a pre-SUV Volvo applied it to a V70 wagon with a suspension lift and some tougher-looking body trim. Although the name has been used on and off since then on cars like the V60 wagon, Volvo doesn’t currently sell any Cross Country SUV models.
Related: New Volvo EX30 Getting The Cross Country Treatment For 2025
As with previous cars wearing the badge, the EX30 Cross Country will offer a little more off-road ability, but its true mission is to simply look like it’s a heap more capable in off-highway situations.
These images show a small increase in ground clearance compared with the 171 mm (6.7 inches) offered by the existing EX30, black plastic trim on the nose, arches, and tail, a roof rack, and a new set of 18-inch alloys.
Look familiar? If it does that’s because Volvo previewed the Cross Country in June 2023, revealing images of an EX30 dressed exactly like this. It said at the time that 18-inch rims wrapped in off-road tires would be optional, while buyers not ticking that box would get 19s and road-biased rubber. Volvo also promised skid plates to protect the EV’s battery and motor.
Back in ’23, Volvo said the Cross Country would be available to buy in MY25 trim during the 2024 calendar year, but it was a definite no-show during the last 12 months, meaning a debut must be imminent. The introduction of all EXs to the US was pushed back a year to 2025 so that Volvo could relocate production from China to Belgium to avoid tariffs.
There’s no indication from the automaker regarding how much the EX XC will cost or which powertrains it will be mated with. But to be true to the off-road theme Volvo might restrict it to the 422 hp (428 PS) bi-motor, all-wheel drive setup from the EX30 Twin Motor Performance that starts at $44,900. A single-motor EX is also available in other markets and comes to the US later, sending its 268 hp (272 PS) to just one axle.
Images in the gallery below were released by Volvo in June 2023.
Images: SH Proshots