√2023 Volvo EX30 small electric SUV teased, due in Australia next year

Volvo is working on a new city-sized electric SUV to sit below the XC40 and C40 Recharge, due in Australian showrooms sometime next year.

Volvo has teased its next electric car – a city SUV expected to be known as the 2023 Volvo EX30 – ahead of its international and Australian launches expected next year.

Previewed in a shadowy teaser shown during the reveal of Volvo’s flagship EX90 electric SUV overnight, the new model – widely tipped to wear the EX30 badge – is set to serve as the company’s entry-level electric model, below the XC40 and C40.

It’s difficult to gauge the car’s exact size from the teaser, however it is much smaller than the EX90, and shares design cues such as the boxy profile and rising window line with today’s XC40.

The new EX90’s tail-light design – with vertical upper strips and C-shaped elements below – carries over to the smaller model, albeit simplified with blockier shapes.

Reports suggest the EX30 will be underpinned by parent company Geely’s Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) for electric vehicles, as used under a growing range of Geely electric cars in China.

One model on the platform, the Zeekr 001, offers up to 700km of driving range, 86kWh or 100kWh batteries and up to 400kW – however the city-sized Volvo is unlikely to match this figures, on account of its price and positioning in the Volvo model range.

Also underpinned by the platform is the new Smart #1 city SUV, which is powered by a 200kW/343Nm rear electric motor as standard – or dual motors with 315kW in high-performance Brabus form – and offers up to 420km of claimed driving range in European WLTP testing.

The reported EX30 name would indicate it is smaller than today’s XC40, which measures about 4.4 metres long. The Smart #1 is 4270mm from nose to tail.

The new 2023 Volvo EX30 is due in Australian showrooms sometime next year, managing director of Volvo Car Australia, Stephen Connor, exclusively told Drive in September.

“We were due to launch the EX90 and XC30 [or EX30] side-by-side, but now we will launch the XC30 next year,” said Mr Connor. The flagship EX90 is slated to arrive in late 2024.

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