It is undeniable that Volvo was once well-known to many consumers because of its safety, and its low-key and introverted brand tone has also made it the favorite of many elite consumers.
But now, with the advent of the era of new energy vehicles, under the tide of intelligence and electrification, Volvo has begun to gradually withdraw from the field of vision of many consumers. However, Volvo is obviously unwilling to be completely abandoned by consumers, on May 19, Volvo's real pure electric model - EX30 was officially launched, the new car is positioned as a small SUV, a total of 4 models have been launched, and the price range is 200,800-255,800 yuan. So can the arrival of this car open an upward channel for Volvo in the new energy market?
The Volvo EX30 is based on Geely's SEA vast platform, and continues its family-style "Scandinavian design" style in terms of appearance. The front of the car adopts "T" shaped headlights, and the interior adopts a grid-like light source, which looks full of science and technology. In addition, the front face will have a closed design, and the lower bumper will be decorated with a black trim strip to further emphasize the sporty look.
From the side, the overall lines are relatively straight, and the ABC three-pillar design adopts a blacked-out design, which is combined with large low-drag wheels and side skirts with anti-scuff trim strips to further add to the sporty atmosphere. The taillight design of the new car is more unique, using the upper and lower split taillights, and the lower part adopts a circular through shape, which has a good visual effect after being lit. In terms of dimensions, the Volvo EX30 has a length, width and height of 4233/1838/1555mm and a wheelbase of 2650mm.
In terms of interior, the new car still adopts a family-style style, and the overall design is very simple, equipped with a 12.3-inch vertical large-size central control screen, and a built-in Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 chip. In addition, Volvo has always adhered to the concept of sustainable development, and uses 30% recycled plastic and renewable materials in decorative panels.
In terms of power, the car has three versions, namely single-motor lithium iron phosphate rear-wheel drive, single-motor ternary lithium rear-wheel drive and dual-motor ternary lithium four-wheel drive models, with a CLTC pure electric range of 410-590km.
Overall, although the Volvo EX30 uses SEA's vast platform, this mature platform can further accelerate product development and keep it competitive. However, in terms of price, the Volvo EX30 does not have many advantages in its class.
You must know that today's pure electric models with more than 200,000 yuan have a range of more than 700 kilometers, or even 800 kilometers. The Volvo EX30 has a maximum range of only 590 km. In terms of space, models such as Xpeng G6 and Zhiji LS6 in the same price range are medium-sized and medium-large SUVs, so the Volvo EX30 is still at a serious disadvantage. In terms of intelligent competition, Volvo EX30 does not have many bright spots. Even the smart Elf #1, which is also derived from SEA's vast platform and positioned as a small SUV, has a starting price of only 154,900 yuan. Volvo EX30 wants to take such a product power and gain a firm foothold in the fiercely competitive domestic new energy market, which is obviously difficult.
Although Volvo Cars is considered to be one of the first traditional luxury brands to start the electrification transition, its performance in new energy models is not satisfactory. Previously, Volvo's new energy models in the domestic market were mainly plug-in hybrid models, although the C40 was launched, but as a gasoline-to-electric product, it also lacked competitiveness, and the market performance has been tepid.
Previously, Volvo has announced the goal of new energy transformation: to achieve full electrification by 2025, when the proportion of pure electric models will reach 50%, and the rest will be hybrid models; In 2030, it will become a pure electric luxury car company.
But judging from the current situation, it is difficult for a product like the Volvo EX30 to bring it a considerable increase in sales. According to the plan, the Volvo EX90, which is based on the SPA2 architecture, will be officially launched in October 2024, and this car is also facing a rather embarrassing market situation. From this point of view, Volvo's new energy transformation still has a long way to go.
(This article is originally produced by Wenwu Lane New Media Studio, please indicate the source: Wenwu Lane, the author of this article: Hefeng, personal opinion, for reference only)