Volvo has unveiled the C40 Recharge in India today, its second all-electric vehicle for our market after the XC40 Recharge that was launched last year. The company also announced that the C40 Recharge will go on sale in August this year, with deliveries slated to commence from September. Bookings for the C40 Recharge can be made online once the prices have been announced in August.
- C40 Recharge is coupe sibling to XC40 Recharge
- Remains mechanically unchanged from its SUV sibling
- C40 Recharge interior is 100 percent leather-free
Volvo C40 Recharge: exterior design
The C40 Recharge looks largely similar to its SUV counterpart save for its rear quarter where the roofline has a coupe-like finish and a very steeply raked rear windscreen. This has brought about a complete redesign of the tail gate and tail lamp assembly. The S-shaped tail lamps here are a lot slimmer, have a wider wraparound effect, get new reverse lights and LED light elements that are segmented instead of the continuous strip on the XC40 Recharge. Unlike in the SUV, the LEDs also protrude into the tail gate and the overall design gives a much wider stance to the rear of the C40 Recharge.
The C40’s roofline swoops down rather steaply at the rear.
There’s also a new two-part spoiler – one on the boot lid that’s blacked out and the other on the roof with a unique twin-pod design aimed at improving the aerodynamics. And while the blacked-out bumper remains unchanged from the SUV, the rear design of the C40 Recharge looks a look busier and sporty than the XC40 Recharge. Additionally, the window-line has also been slightly redesigned due to the sloping roofline.
Elsewhere, the C40 Recharge remains unchanged from its SUV sibling – the headlamps with Thor’s hammer LED DRLs, the front bumper and hood, the contouring on the doors, the dual-tone 19-inch alloy wheels – all have been carried forward unchanged.
Volvo C40 Recharge: interior and features
On the inside, the dashboard design is typically Volvo and unsurprisingly, is identical to the XC40 Recharge. It continuous with a 9.0-inch portrait-style touchscreen flanked by slim AC vents, wood inlays on the dashboard, a fully-digital instrument cluster, and quality of materials and fit and finish remains as good as you’d typically expect from Volvo.
The interior design and equipment list remians unchanged from XC40 Recharge.
As the equipment is concerned, the C40 Recharge gets an Android-based infotainment system with direct access to Google Maps and Assistant, and several apps from the PlayStore with the help of an onboard e-SIM. It also gets a panoramic sunroof, wireless phone charging, 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 and heating and cooling, a dual-zone climate control and a premium Harman Kardon sound system.
The C40 Recharge uses completely leathree-free upholstery for its interior.
The C40’s Recharge’s boot space, however, has gone down to 413-litres from the SUV’s 452-litres, although the 31-litres frunk space remains unchanged. Notably, Volvo claims that the C40’s interior is completely leather-free, in line with the brand’s aim to completely eliminate leather from all its electric cars by 2025 to reduce animal harm and carbon emissions.
Volvo C40 Recharge: powertrain and specs
The underpinnings and powertrain configuration also remains unchanged from the XC40 Recharge. Based on the CMA platform (Compact Modular Architecture), the C40 Recharge in India gets a dual-motor setup with a 78kWh battery pack for a claimed range of 530km in a single charge. The two electric motors are placed on front and rear axles – thereby giving it all-wheel drive – and produce 408hp and 660Nm of torque combined. The C40 Recharge is capable of fast charging where a 150kW DC charger can top-up the batteries from 0 to 100 percent in 33 minutes.
Volvo C40 Recharge: rivals
Upon launch, the C40 Recharge will see competition from the likes of the Kia EV6 and the Hyundai Ioniq 5. It’s expected to be priced at a slight premium over its SUV counterpart, which, for reference, is currently priced at Rs 56.90 lakh, ex-showroom. Although there aren’t any electric coupe-SUVs in this price range, there are a few ICE coupe-SUVs available for a similar price such as the Audi Q3 Sportback and Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe.
Also See:
Volvo XC40 Recharge video review
Volvo XC40 Recharge EV review: Small SUV, big punch