Volvo’s first local electric car sells out in four days

Volvo Cars South Africa has announced that the initial allocation of its first electric car to be offered locally, the XC40 Recharge P8, was sold out in only four days in mid-May.

The Chinese owned Swedish automaker has assured costumers that it has already secured a new allocation of the XC40 P8 for those who missed out on the deal.

Priced at R1.2-million, Volvo has sweetened the deal by including some attractive added value. It includes free comprehensive insurance for the first three years, the use of a petrol car for two weeks for the first three years and a home charger including installation along with all the relevant cables.

The XC40 P8’s dual electric motors produce 304 kW of power and 660 Nm of torque, which results in a time of 4.9 sec from 0 to 100 km/h, making it the fastest Volvo. It offers a range of 418 km on a single charge. The P8 will include a five-year maintenance plan and warranty, an eight year/160 000 km warranty on the battery.

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“We knew that there was an appetite in South Africa for electric cars and we were determined to give our customers a competitive price,” said Greg Maruszewski, Managing Director of Volvo Car South Africa.

Volvo has committed itself to a greener future by announcing that from 2030 the Swedish carmaker will only produce electric vehicles. Maruszewski has reiterated that there is no Plan B for emerging countries like South Africa and that Volvo will only offer electric options locally nine years from now.

The other four fully electric vehicles on offer in South Africa, the Mini Cooper S E, the BMW i3, Jaguar I-Pace and Porsche Taycan. Of the four current offerings, the Mini (from R686 400) and the i3 (from R754 200) are significantly cheaper than the XC40, but are also smaller, while the bigger I-Pace (from R1 942 600) and Taycan (R2 227 000) come at a premium.