The Volvo XC40 Recharge Pure Electric – the first all-electric car from the Swedish luxury brand – will be launched in South Africa in the second half of 2021
The XC40 Recharge will deliver a brisk performance, with its twin electric motors producing 304 kW (408 hp) of power and 660 Nm of torque to deliver a 0-100 km/h time of just 4.9 seconds
Volvo dealers will start taking orders for the XC40 Recharge in April. Deliveries will commence in August.
The price of the XC40 Recharge will be confirmed later this month.
The Volvo XC40 Recharge Pure Electric – the first all-electric car from the Swedish luxury brand – will be launched in South Africa in the second half of 2021.
Volvo’s all-electric sport utility vehicle (SUV) has already demonstrated strong sales internationally. Thousands of orders were placed for the XC40 Recharge even before the formal start of sales in Europe last year. By the start of production in the company’s Ghent, Belgium, plant on October 1 last year, every car scheduled to be built that calendar year had already been sold.
According to Greg Maruszewski, Managing Director at Volvo Car South Africa, the XC40 Recharge Pure Electric is capable of travelling more than 400 km on a single charge. “It can be charged to 80% of its battery capacity in as little as 40 minutes using a fast charger,” he reveals.
The XC40 Recharge will deliver a brisk performance, with its twin electric motors producing 304 kW (408 hp) of power and 660 Nm of torque to deliver a 0-100 km/h time of just 4.9 seconds. While pleasing in the area of performance, the car scores highly in the field of practicality too.
Volvo Cars will launch a fully electric car every year, as we look to make all-electric cars 50 percent of global sales by 2025, with the rest hybrids.
For instance, the lack of an internal combustion engine frees up space for an additional 30-litre storage compartment – or ‘frunk’ – under the front bonnet, while the placement of the batteries under the centre of the car means space is not compromised elsewhere.
Owners will be able to charge the vehicle at a dealership, at home or at one of the ever-growing network of public charging stations. Volvo Car South Africa is also rolling out an extensive network of charging stations at its dealerships and, by the end of 2021, each Volvo dealership will have a charging station.
The XC40 is the first of five fully electric cars to be launched by the Swedish company over the next five years. “Volvo Cars will launch a fully electric car every year, as we look to make all-electric cars 50 percent of global sales by 2025, with the rest hybrids. Recharge will be the overarching name for all chargeable Volvos with a fully electric and plug-in hybrid powertrain,” Maruszewski explains.
We look forward to bringing the huge benefits of electric driving – and more – to an already award-winning package.
– – GREG MARUSZEWSKI, MANAGING DIRECTOR AT VOLVO CAR SOUTH AFRICA
The launch of the XC40 Recharge is a significant step towards Volvo Cars’ ambition to reduce its CO2footprint per car by 40 percent by 2025. “That same year, it expects 50 percent of its global sales to consist of fully electric cars, with the rest hybrids. But 2030, the company aims to only build electric cars,” he elaborates.
Maruszewski believes that the XC40 Recharge will find favour in South Africa. “South Africans are already firm fans of the internal combustion engine-powered XC40; it had an 8.40% share of its segment in 2019; that grew to 14.70% in 2020.
We look forward to bringing the huge benefits of electric driving – and more – to an already award-winning package,” he concludes.
Volvo dealers will start taking orders for the XC40 Recharge in April. Deliveries will commence in August.
The price of the XC40 Recharge will be confirmed later this month.
The Land Rover Defender has been named Supreme Winner Women’s World Car of the Year 2021. The triumph is the first time a Land Rover has won the top prize at the awards and is the latest in a series of international honours for the most capable Land Rover ever made.
Defender remains true to the pioneering spirit that has been a Land Rover hallmark for over 70 years and redefines adventure for the 21st century. Iconic in name, shape and capability, it is available in a choice of body designs and can be personalised with a choice of four Accessory Packs to help owners make more of their world.
The Women’s World Car of the Year (WWCOTY) awards are the only car awards in the world with a jury comprised exclusively of woman, with 50 motoring journalists from 38 countries on five continents recognizing the best new models available. The new Defender was named Best Medium SUV 2021 at the awards before being awarded – to coincide with International Women’s Day – the headline WWCOTY prize.
This is a huge honour for the whole team and a reward for the hard work that has gone into creating such a capable vehicle.
– Nick Collins, Executive Director, Vehicle Programmes, Jaguar Land Rover
Nick Collins, Executive Director, Vehicle Programmes, Jaguar Land Rover said: “This is a huge honour for the whole team and a reward for the hard work that has gone into creating such a capable vehicle. Defender has won more than 50 international awards already, which tells us that our original vision for a 21st century Defender was the right one. New Defender combines an unmistakable silhouette with state-of-the-art technology in a design that respects its heritage and delivers authentic Land Rover capability. The result is a family of 4x4s that lives up to the Defender name with an efficient plug-in hybrid powertrain and our potent new Defender V8.”
The Women’s World Car of the Year is the only jury in the world made up entirely of women motoring journalists.
– Marta Garcia, Executive President of the Women’s World Car of the Year
Marta Garcia, Executive President of the Women’s World Car of the Year, explains that the Women’s World Car of the Year is the only jury in the world made up entirely of women motoring journalists. “This gives it enormous value because its decisions represent the liking and preferences of millions of women drivers around the globe. But cars have no gender and are not subject to stereotypes, so the winners of these awards are, quite simply, the best cars in the world. And this year’s top winner is the Land Rover Defender,” she says.
The voting was verified by Grant Thornton, from its office in Auckland (New Zealand). The firm has been certifying the results of the Women’s World Car of the Year since its inception in 2009. Paul Kane, a partner in the company, says it is always a hard-fought process.
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