Nothing is confirmed for North America yet
Range is higher in 2023
Power is also on the rise.
The Volvo brand once marketed vehicles rear-wheel drive vehicles, but this configuration has not been offered for a while now, as the Swedish automaker focused on front-wheel drive or four-wheel drive platforms.
But rear-wheel drive is back for 2023, and it’s on board the XC40 Recharge and C40 Recharge electric crossovers. Indeed, the automaker announced it on its global website, which guarantees at least a presence on the European side and certainly on the Chinese market. What about North America? At this time, the Canadian PR department confirmed that an announcement would happen later.
2023 Volvo C40 Recharge Photo: Volvo
Since their arrival on the market, the brand’s only two purely electric crossovers – pending the arrival of the Volvo EX90 – have been sold with a pair of engines and all-wheel drive.
For 2023, Volvo also indicated that two rear-wheel-drive variants would be offered. Indeed, the base model would feature a single rear-mounted engine with 235 horsepower and a 69-kWh battery pack. The other option for either body style of the 40 Series is based on a battery pack with a capacity of 82 kWh and 248 horsepower.
2023 Volvo XC40 Recharge Photo: Volvo
Where it gets interesting is in terms of the possible distance between recharges. According to the WLTP calculation method, the base model XC40 is capable of driving 460 km or, based on EPA calculations, 240 miles (386 km). The more aerodynamic C40 Recharge adds 10 km to its range, or 470 km (WLTP) or 245 miles (394 km).
The other variant with the larger battery boasts an EPA-estimated 520 km (WLTP) or 270 miles (435 km). The C40 Recharge does better with 530 km (WLTP) or 275 miles (443 km). Remember that the calculations of the American EPA are very similar to those of RnC (Natural Resources Canada).
2023 Volvo XC40 Recharge Photo: Volvo
The manufacturer has also improved its charging capacity for the 82-kWh battery, with both vehicles able to charge up to 200 kW, compared to the 150 kW from the current model.
The two twin-engine variants are still on the agenda, not surprisingly, and according to the WLTP method, the range increases to 500 km (XC40) or 507 km (C40). In this case, the possible distance between recharges, an increase of 62 km compared to the outgoing model. It is worth mentioning that the two engines installed on the AWD version are not the same, the engineers having favored the rear axle with a power of 183 kW (245 hp) and 117 kW (157 hp) at the front for a total of 402 hp.
We’ll have to wait and see if Volvo will dare to add these two-wheel drive variants in the North American lineup. If the competition can do it – and there are plenty of examples -, why not Volvo?
