Volvo C40 Recharge launched in India at introductory price of Rs 61.25 lakh

Jyoti Malhotra, Managing Director, Volvo Car India, said that the C40 Recharge is Volvo’s first-born electric car and offers leather-free interiors and some remarkable features that clearly distinguish it as a full-electric car in a sporty and contemporary way. He also said that the C40 Recharge has a Euro NCAP five-star rating with regard to safety performance and is assembled at their plant in Hosakote in Bengaluru.

The C40 Recharge has a coupe-like design with a sloping roofline and a two-part spoiler. It has Pixel LED headlights and split LED tail lights. The interior is identical to the XC40 Recharge, with a 9.0-inch touchscreen, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, and wood inlays on the dashboard. The C40 Recharge also has an Android-based infotainment system with an onboard e-SIM.

The C40 Recharge also offers a panoramic sunroof, wireless phone charging, a 360-degree camera, a full suite of sensor-based ADAS tech with autonomous driving, connected car tech, powered front seats with driver-side memory function, heating and cooling, a dual-zone climate control system, and a premium Harman Kardon sound system.

The C40 Recharge has less boot space than the XC40 Recharge, with 413 litres compared to 452 litres. The frunk space remains the same at 31 litres. Volvo claims that the C40 Recharge has a completely leather-free interior, as part of its goal to eliminate leather from all its electric cars by 2025 to reduce animal harm and carbon emissions.

The C40 Recharge shares the same platform and powertrain as the XC40 Recharge. It is based on the Compact Modular Architecture platform and has a dual-motor set-up – one on each axle – with a 78kWh battery pack. The C40 Recharge claims to have a range of 530km on a single charge on the WLTP cycle or 683km as per ICAT.

The two electric motors produce 408hp and 660Nm of torque, giving the C40 Recharge all-wheel-drive capability. Volvo claims that the C40 Recharge can accelerate from 0-100kph in 4.7 seconds, which is 0.2 seconds faster than the XC40 Recharge. The C40 Recharge can also fast charge with a 150kW DC charger that can charge its batteries from 0 to 100 percent in 27 minutes.

Volvo’s new C40 Recharge will go up against the likes of Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5. Moreover, while there aren’t any electric coupe-SUVs in this price range, internal combustion engine (ICE) SUVs like Audi Q3 Sportback and Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe also fall in the same segment.