Volvo first all-electric SUV Volvo XC40 Recharge, expected to be priced around ₹75 lakh, comfortably undercuts other luxury electric SUVs like Mercedes-Benz EQC, Jaguar I-Pace, Audi e-tron and the BMW iX that are pricier in India, at around ₹ 1 crore
The Volvo XC40 Recharge has been priced at ₹75 lakh (ex-showroom, India). Though the Swedish brand is yet to officially announce the price, it has listed the all-electric SUV on its India website, revealing the market positioning of the model.
Volvo showcased the XC40 Recharge in India a year ago, saying that bookings would commence in June, followed by deliveries in October 2021. However, the automaker later announced the launch had been deferred to early 2022, due to a shortage of semiconductors. With the Volvo India website finally listing the model, it seems the brand is gearing up for a market debut of its first EV in our country in the coming weeks.
The electric SUV carries a mark up of ₹ 31.75 lakh over the petrol-powered XC40 T4, which costs ₹ 43.25 lakh. Notably, the EV is the second most expensive model in Volvo India’s line-up, costing more than even the combustion-powered S90 sedan (₹ 64.90 lakh) and XC60 SUV (₹ 63.50 lakh), with only the full-size XC90 SUV (₹ 90.90 lakh-96.65 lakh) being pricier still.
The XC40 Recharge comfortably undercuts other luxury electric SUVs — Mercedes-Benz EQC, Jaguar I-Pace, Audi e-tron and the BMW iX — which, being bigger, are all positioned much higher on the price ladder in India, at around ₹ 1 crore.
The XC40 Recharge shares its Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) underpinnings with the regular SUV, and as such, retains most of its design with minor stylistic touches, like the blanked-off grille, marking it out as the greener alternative.
In terms of features, the India-spec XC40 gets LED headlights, 19-inch alloy wheels, panoramic sunroof, leather upholstery, hands-free function for the tailgate, two-zone climate control, 12-inch digital instrument cluster, wireless phone charging, Android-powered touchscreen infotainment system, powered driver seat with memory and a powered passenger seat.
Being a Volvo, the XC40 Recharge is high on safety, and the Indian model offers seven airbags, adaptive cruise control, tyre pressure monitor, blind-spot monitor, cross traffic alert, 360-degree camera, auto parking, lane keep assist, oncoming lane mitigation, road sign recognition and hill descent control.
The XC40 Recharge comes with an all-wheel drive set-up, thanks to two, 204hp electric motors putting out a combined 408hp and 660Nm of torque. With substantial power on tap, the EV is capable of a 0-100kph sprint of 4.9sec, and a limited top speed of 180kph.
A 78kWh under-floor battery pack means the electric XC40 can cover a claimed 418km on a single charge, as per the European WLTP test cycle. The battery can be charged at rates of up to 11kW AC or 150kW DC, with the latter capable of juicing up the pack from 0-80% in 40 minutes.
