Volvo’s first all-electric model for Australia is already sold out.
Deliveries of the 2022 Volvo XC40 Recharge Pure Electric have officially started – and every vehicle coming Down Under has already been spoken for.
That means buyers who place an order today for the all-electric crossover will be waiting until February 2022 for their vehicle to arrive.
A Volvo spokesperson told CarExpert the number of vehicles in the first shipment is in the “hundreds”.
The XC40 Recharge Pure Electric is targeted at the Tesla Model 3 Long Range and Mercedes-Benz EQA 250, and is priced from $76,990 before on-road costs.
Just one well-specced model will be offered, with 300kW of power and 660Nm of torque from its dual-motor all-wheel drive system.
It does the 0-100km/h sprint in just 4.9 seconds, making it faster (by 4.0 seconds) than an identically-priced EQA 250.
It’s also only 0.5 seconds slower than the $5000 more expensive Tesla Model 3 Long Range, although the Tesla’s range claim is up more than 200km on the XC40, which in turn is 10km down on the EQA 250’s claim.
The XC40 Recharge Pure Electric has a 78kWh lithium-ion battery pack, good for a claimed range of 418km.
An 80 per cent charge hooked up to a DC fast charger takes 40 minutes, Volvo says, thanks to its 150kW maximum charge speed.
The XC40 can charge at 11kW plugged into an AC fast charger.
Although it looks quite conventional, the XC40 Recharge Pure Electric has some significant differences to the regular XC40.
It debuts Volvo’s new Android Automotive-based infotainment system, and it has no start button. Just sit down, belt up, and go.
The XC40 Recharge Pure Electric will join the XC40 Recharge Plug-In Hybrid in local showrooms.
The PHEV is $10,000 cheaper, but is front-wheel drive only, has a smaller battery, and is down 105kW in power.
Despite a heftier kerb weight (2158kg vs. 1760kg), the Pure Electric is still 2.4 seconds quicker to 100km/h.
The XC40 Recharge Pure Electric will be joined in 2022 by a related coupe crossover called the C40 Recharge.
The related 2 from sister brand Polestar will arrive sooner, with a November 2021 launch scheduled.
MORE: Everything Volvo XC40