Approved for South Africa Volvo C40 Recharge here in 2023

Announced last year as heading for South Africa at the time of its world reveal, Volvo has confirmed the first half of 2023 as the reveal time for the coupe-styled C40 Recharge.

C40 Recharge

Introduced as the then second dedicated all-electric Volvo model after the XC40 Recharge, the C40 Recharge not only rides on the same CMA platform, but produces the same grunt with outputs of 300kW/660Nm from the 78-kWh battery.

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Top speed is limited to 180 km/h with the 0-100 km/h dash taking 4.7 seconds. According to Volvo, the C40 Recharge will travel 451 km on a single charge with half-an-hour needed at a fast charger for the battery to be topped-up from 0-80%.

While pricing remains unknown, Volvo Car South Africa Managing Director, Greg Maruszewski, says it expects the newcomer to the popular after the initial batch of XC40 P8 Recharges sold-out in four days and the lesser powered XC40 P6 Recharge in 24 hours.

“We expect the new C40 Recharge to resonate just as strongly with South Africans looking to switch to battery-powered vehicles,” Maruszewski said in reference to the automaker’s aim of obtaining a 50/50 sales split between mild-hybrid and fully electric vehicles by 2025.

With the debut of the facelift XC40 in October, Volvo no longer offers an internal combustion exclusive powered model in its line-up as it moves towards becoming a manufacturer solely of electric vehicles by 2030.

EX90

Besides the C40 Recharge, which will feature the Volvo’s latest Google-powered software and a leather free interior option, Volvo also confirmed that the EX90 will becoming in South Africa despite exact timing being unknown.

Unlike the existing platform used by the C40 Recharge, the EX90 rides on the new EV dedicated Scalable Production Architecture (SPA) platform called SPA2 with outputs of 380kW/910Nm delivered to all four wheels thanks a 111-kWh battery driving two electric motors on each axle.

Similar to the XC90, the EX90 provides seating for seven with its projected range rated at 600 km and a charging time of 30 minutes from 0-80% using a fast charger.

Expect Volvo Cars South Africa to divulge more details of both models in the run-up to their market respective launches.