Volvo Car South Africa has put a price tag on its upcoming XC40 Recharge electric SUV ahead of the order books officially opening on Monday, May 10.
Priced from R1.2 million, the XC40 P8 Recharge is not the cheapest battery car in South Africa but it’s also far from being the most expensive. For the record, the much smaller Mini Cooper SE starts at R686 400, while the larger Jaguar I-Pace is yours for a hefty R1 942 600.
Customer deliveries of the XC40 Recharge are set to commence in August, but there’s no use visiting a dealer at any point because the car will be sold exclusively online through the company’s My Car website. Volvo claims that this ‘online store’ will allow people to buy or rent a car in as little as 20 minutes.
The XC40 Recharge is an impressive performer too. Its twin electric motors produce combined outputs of 304 kW and 660 N.m and they also enable all-wheel drive capability. According to Volvo, the EV will sprint from 0-100 km/h in 4.9 seconds.
But how far can the XC40 Recharge travel between charges? Volvo SA claims a range of up to 418km on a single charge and buyers can expect to wait just 40 minutes for an 80 percent charge if the vehicle is plugged in to a 150kW DC fast charging station. A full charge, when connected to an 11kW AC fast charger will take between eight and 10 hours, Volvo says.
The battery comes with an eight-year or 160 000 km warranty, providing that it and the car has been maintained in accordance with the company’s recommendations.
Interestingly, if the prospect of planning a long-distance trip fills you with ‘range anxiety’ Volvo will lend you a petrol-powered car for up to two weeks during the first three years of ownership of the XC40 Recharge. This forms part of the Volvo Care Package, which also includes a home charger, three years of insurance as well as a five-year maintenance plan and warranty.
On the tech front, the XC40 Recharge is the first Volvo to be fitted with the company’s new Google Android powered infotainment system, which is fully integrated with the company’s On Call connected services platform.
