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Cars > Electric

Volvo PH joins the EV fray with XC40 Recharge and C40 Recharge

Priced at P3,990,000 and P4,190,000, respectively

The two latest EVs to hit the market hail from Sweden (by way of Malaysia, that is). PHOTO BY SAM SURLA

Do you prefer your electric vehicles to have a little Scandinavian flair to them? Worry not as Volvo Philippines finally introduces its pair of EV twins—the XC40 Recharge P8 Twin and the C40 Recharge P8 Twin. And no, please do not associate them with China just because the brand is owned by Geely Group; these cars are manufactured in Malaysia.

Volvo C40 Recharge. PHOTOS BY SAM SURLA
Volvo XC40 Recharge. PHOTOS BY SAM SURLA

Choosing between the two shouldn’t be a challenging ordeal, as Volvo made it extremely easy. All you have to do is choose between two body styles, and they both even come in the same four colors: Fjord BlueCrystal WhiteVapor Gray, and Sage Green.

The styling similarities help make it easier for customers to choose. PHOTOS BY SAM SURLA

Both feature the same “Thor’s hammer” Pixel LED lighting, “frameless plate” grille, and 19-inch, five-spoke wheel designs. You only have to choose whether you prefer the sleeker coupe-like roofline of the C40 or the traditional crossover design of the XC40.

Some sacrifices in headroom had to be made for the style-oriented C40. PHOTOS BY SAM SURLA

They also have the same five-seat interior covered in black “premium textile” upholstery all over with electrically adjustable front seats. The C40 features a fixed panoramic glass roof, while the larger XC40 has a standard panoramic sunroof that can be opened up.

Regardless of variant, there are lots of places to put cargo in. PHOTOS BY SAM SURLA

There is a 31L front trunk, and opening the power tailgate gives access to the 545L cargo bay that can be expanded to 1,295L with the rear seats folded for the XC40. Meanwhile, the C40’s cargo capacity comes in at 489L and 1,205L with the rear seats folded.

There is a lot of tech inside that is guaranteed to keep you safe and make your drive easier. PHOTOS BY SAM SURLA

Standard tech includes a 12-inch digital instrument cluster, a nine-inch portrait screen with built-in Google Services (Apple CarPlay is still supported), a 13-speaker Harman Kardon Premium sound system, a wireless phone charger, and even a built-in air purifier.

Being Volvos, they come chock-full with safety features and driver assists. Usual suspects like adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, parking assist, and a 360° camera are present, but the automaker ups the ante with such features as Pilot Assist, traffic sign recognition, and slippery road alert.

Both have a healthy amount of range and power on tap. PHOTOS BY SAM SURLA

The “twin” part in the name refers to a twin-motor, all-wheel-drive powertrain that’s capable of churning out 408hp and 660Nm. The coupe-like C40 Recharge does the sprint to 100km/h in 4.7 seconds, while the XC40 Recharge makes it in 4.9 seconds.

More importantly, the C40 Recharge has a range of 549km, while the XC40 Recharge does 537km from the 78kWh (75kWh usable) lithium-ion battery. DC fast charging from 10% to 80% takes just 27 minutes, while AC charging from empty to full should take around seven to nine hours.

For electric vehicles, these two are very competitively priced. PHOTO BY SAM SURLA

The cost for all of this Swedish technology? An introductory price of P3,990,000 for the XC40 Recharge P8 Twin, and P4,190,000 for the C40 Recharge P8 Twin.

The cars have an ownership package that includes a charger, a three-year comprehensive vehicle warranty, five-year roadside assistance, an eight-year battery warranty, and an unlimited digital update service for the vehicle’s software.



Sam Surla

Sam is the youngest member of our editorial team. And he is our managing editor (believe it or not). He specializes in photography and videography, but he also happens to like writing about cars a lot.



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