Volvo has detailed the single-motor version of its C40 electric crossover SUV, which will simultaneously join the (already-revealed) dual-motor model in Australia in the third quarter of 2022.

    The single-motor C40 Recharge ‘coupe SUV’ has an “anticipated” range of up to 434km on the WLTP cycle, and uses a 69kWh capacity battery that Volvo says can be charged from 10 to 80 per cent in 32 minutes using a DC fast charger.

    Meanwhile the already familiar dual-motor C40 model, with a larger-capacity 78kWh battery, has a claimed 444km of range and takes 37 minutes on a DC fast charger.

    The sleeker-bodied C40 has a slightly longer range than its more practical XC40 platform-mate, which can travel a claimed 380km (single motor) and 418km (dual motor).

    The single motor, front-wheel drive C40 Recharge uses a front-mounted powertrain with 170kW of power and 330Nm of torque, while the dual-motor all-wheel drive model produces 300kW and 660Nm total. These outputs are identical to the XC40 Recharge.

    Claimed 0-100km/h times are 7.2 seconds for the single-motor and 4.7 seconds for the dual-motor – 0.2 seconds quicker than the equivalent XC40s.

    All C40 and XC40 Recharge models support DC fast charging at up to 150kW and AC charging at up to 11kW.

    The XC40 Recharge’s MY23 facelift brought refreshed front-end styling to make it more closely resemble the yet-to-be-launched C40.

    Think of the C40 and XC40, then, as being the coupe and wagon variants of the same car. The 2 from sister brand Polestar also shares its underpinnings with the two Volvos.

    As previously reported, Australian-spec C40 Recharge models will be produced in China at Volvo’s Taizhou plant.

    The C40 Recharge is the first Volvo to be leather-free, with all C40s coming with synthetic options made from bio-based and recycled materials.

    An example of this is Nordico, a Volvo-developed material made from recycled PET bottles, bio material from sustainable Scandinavian forests, and recycled wine corks.

    The cabin of the C40 Recharge is largely carried over from the XC40 and includes the company’s latest Android-based infotainment system with Google Maps, Google Assistant and app store all pre-loaded.

    In other markets, the C40 Recharge gets unlimited data that helps with over-the-air software updates.

    Local pricing and specification of the C40 Recharge has yet to be confirmed, and will be revealed closer to its launch.

    It’s unclear exactly what the C40 Recharge will cost exactly but it’s expected to be slightly more than the XC40 Recharge Pure Electric, per coupe SUV tradition.

    The 2023 Volvo XC40 Recharge Pure Electric, for reference, costs $72,990 before on-road costs, and the dual-motor version costs $79,990 before on-road costs.

    MORE: Everything Volvo C40 Recharge

    William Stopford

    William Stopford is an automotive journalist based in Brisbane, Australia. William is a Business/Journalism graduate from the Queensland University of Technology who loves to travel, briefly lived in the US, and has a particular interest in the American car industry.

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