AutoVerdict
Volvo is expected the join the world of battery-electric vehicles in 2019. The company’s entry into electrification will come via a new hatchback model that will carry a 40 series nameplate.
According to an AutoCar report, the new EV will effectively be a production version of the Volvo 40.2 Concept. This mans the vehicle will be a hatchback with a coupe-like appearance, which the report says will follow the concept’s design very closely. Given the 40.1 Concept was nearly a full preview of the production XC40, Volvo has a history of mimicking concepts for production.
The 40.2 also previewed the production car’s powertrain. In concept form, the car was powered by an electric motor and battery combination that generated about 217 miles of range. Volvo executives have hinted that they are aiming higher for the production version, to the tune of about 310 miles. This type of range would put the Volvo product towards the top of the EV world, at least by today’s standards.
Like the 40.2, the production vehicle will be built atop Volvo’s Compact Modular Architecture (CMA), which is shared by Volvo’s parent company Geely. This is the same architecture that underpins the XC40, which is expected to be the second electrified product within the Volvo portfolio.
Additional electrification of the Volvo lineup is inevitable. The Swedish brand was the first major automaker to announce last year that every vehicle launched after 2019 will be electrified in some capacity. Other automakers quickly followed suit with similar announcements.
