Volvo XC40 Recharge Production Starts, With 1st Deliveries Planned For October
Volvo is kicking its electrification efforts into gear today with the announcement that production of the fully electric XC40 Recharge has started at its Ghent, Belgium production plant.
“Today is a momentous occasion for Volvo Cars and for all employees here in Ghent,” said Javier Varela, head of global industrial operations and quality. “As we continue to electrify our line-up, the Ghent plant is a real trailblazer for our global manufacturing network.”
The start of customer car production of Volvo’s first fully electric vehicle is hailed by Volvo as the start of a new chapter in the company. Volvo has publicly committed to the ambitious target of achieving 50 percent of its global sales from fully electric vehicles by 2025. Volvo isn’t wasting any time, with the first XC40 Recharge vehicles slated for delivery to the first lucky customers in Europe later this month.
Volvo has seen strong demand for the electrified version of its popular compact SUV since the unveiling of the XC40 Recharge last year. The new electrified vehicle strikes at one of the most popular segments in the global automotive industry and offers an electrified version of an already familiar Volvo vehicle. As electric vehicles move into the mainstream, more and more consumers are looking for vehicles that look and feel like petrol vehicles, just with a different powertrain inside.
Electric powertrains represent a noticeable improvement over legacy combustion engines with far fewer moving parts, a more efficient electric motor, and instant torque, among other benefits. Volvo’s XC40 Recharge boasts a range of 400+ kilometers / 250 miles on the WLTP cycle per charge and a hefty 408 horsepower.
The XC40 Recharge is based on Volvo’s Compact Modular Architecture (CMA), also known as the skateboard for the vehicle. The road to fully electric vehicles has provided an open door for manufacturers to rethink and redesign their vehicles from the ground up. Volvo’s CMA provides the foundational battery, motors, suspension and related hardware all bolted up nicely to a standardized chassis. Volvo expects to leverage the CMA platform, co-developed with parent company Geely Group, in a range of future vehicles.
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