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Volvo

The Volvo EX30 — an electric subcompact SUV — is proving to be a remarkable little vehicle for the safety-obsessed Swedish carmaker. Launched in 2023 in select global markets, the car has been on sale in Europe where it is fast emerging as a hot favorite, rising up to even become the second most sold EV on the continent in August 2024, second only to the Tesla Model Y.

At its global launch, Volvo confirmed that the EX30 was U.S.-bound and even opened up pre-orders for the car. However, the U.S. government’s decision to impose a 100% tariff on China-made EVs threw a wrench into Volvo’s U.S. launch plans for the EX30, which was expected to come from its Zhangjiakou factory. So the company postponed the launch to 2025.

In a surprise announcement, Volvo confirmed that it will start fulfilling pre-orders for the EX30 for its U.S. customers, with the first cars likely to be delivered to customers before the end of 2024. These deliveries will only apply to customers who had pre-ordered the Twin Motor Performance trim of the car, which starts at $44,900.

Volvo’s launch plans for the affordable Single Motor variant remain unchanged, and these variants will only make it to the company’s U.S. showrooms “later in 2024”. If you happen to be among the lucky ones who managed to pre-book the EX30 well over a year ago, you’ll hear from Volvo. Once you get the go-ahead, you can configure your EX30 variant on the Volvo website, followed by deliveries in the coming weeks.

What is making the Volvo EX30 click?

Volvo

With a starting price of $34,950, the promised launch price of the Volvo immediately made it an attractive proposition. As outlined in our first-drive article, the prospect of owning a car with the characteristics of a Volvo at the price of a Chevrolet Equinox EV lent the car a universal appeal. The company announced in a release that future EX30s will be manufactured at the company’s facility in Ghent, Belgiumwhich may alleviate tariff concerns.

If we are to believe Volvo, it is the pricier Twin Motor Performance trim of the EX30 that is in massive demand. This variant produces 428 hp and 543 Nm of torque while also offering All Wheel Drive (AWD) capabilities, and up to 365 miles of city driving range, using a 69kWh battery.

In Europe, Volvo sells the EX30 in two more trims, a basic single-motor variant, and a single-motor extended-range option. The absolute vase variant of the car gets a smaller 51kWh battery, that’s good for up to 274 miles of city range. The extended-range variant gets the same 69 kWh battery as the top-spec variant but makes a higher 367-mile range claim. The lower trim variants also happen to be rear wheel drive enabled.

Now that the Volvo EX30 is on the verge of its U.S. debut, it will be interesting to see if it can replicate its European success in the American market.