- Volvo gives a major upgrade to its all-electric XC40 and C40 Recharge SUVs
- Limited to International markets, the update brings more power, extended range and a rear-wheel drive package on board
- Volvo C40 Recharge India launch confirmed by 2023
Volvo Cars India launched its first all-electric SUV, the XC40 Recharge for the Indian market in July this year. The electrified XC40 became the first luxury EV to be locally assembled in India. Brought in India via the CKD route, the four-wheeler is assembled at the company's Hoskote-based manufacturing facility near Bengaluru. The Swedish auto major has also confirmed the arrival of the C40 Recharge in India by 2023. In the latest development, Volvo has given a major update to its electric SUV line-up internationally. The XC40 and C40 Recharge now gets a more powerful as well as efficient powertrain along with a bigger battery pack and a rear-wheel drive setup for single motor variants.
Also Read: Volvo Launches XC40 Pure Electric Recharge At Rs 55.90 Lakh
Updated Volvo XC40 and C40 Recharge: What's New?
The major chunk of this update lies under the hood. To begin with, the single-motor variants now get a rear-wheel drive system, skipping the front-powered unit in the interest of better efficiency. The 78 kWh battery pack is replaced by a larger 82 kWh unit in the dual motor trims. These minor alternations in the XC40 and C40 Recharge have resulted in an overall range bump of 32 kilometres for the single motor and 64 kilometres for the dual motor variants. Along with this, the power figures for the single-motor setup have gone up to 238 bhp, while the 408 bhp of the dual motor trims remain the same. However, the power delivery is now more rear-biased, with rear wheels getting 204 bhp and front wheels getting 163 bhp, as opposed to uniform 204 bhp at both ends.
Some changes to the charging system include a faster-charging capacity of up to 200 kW which brings the 10 to 80 percent charging time as low as 10 minutes.
Volvo's EV Plans for India
Along with the confirmed launch of the C40 Recharge in 2023, Volvo also plans to launch its latest flagship luxury EV SUV in India, the EX90 which was globally unveiled last month. Talking about the Swedish brand's electrification strategy, it has committed to go fully electric by 2030 and plans to launch a new EV every year. Apart from this, Volvo has confirmed that it will gradually phase out exiting PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle) models from the line-up to make way for new fully electric vehicles.
Also Read: Volvo XC40 Recharge Deliveries Commence - Details
Verdict: With the latest international update of the XC40 Recharge, we can expect Volvo to bring the updated model to the Indian shores by next year. Along with this, the C40 Recharge launch slated for 2023 will diversify the brand's electric line-up. Assembling electric vehicles in India gives the Swedish carmaker a competitive edge over its rivals in terms of pricing.
