Volvo EX30 electric crossover guns for Gen Z with budget price

MILAN, Italy — Volvo Cars aspires to deliver 1.2 million vehicles globally by mid-decade, nearly double last year's volume. To get there, the Swedish automaker is betting big on a small new electric model aimed at younger buyers.

The EX30 is aimed at the millennial and Gen Z market, which premium automakers have mostly ignored. Tesla and Mercedes have compact electric crossovers but they are larger and pricier.

Canadian pricing and payment terms will be available closer to delivery time. But, in the United States, the 2025 Volvo EX30 starts at $36,145 (all figures in USD), including shipping, and arrives in the U.S. next summer. The sub-$35,000 sticker price is even more remarkable because the vehicle is subject to a hefty 27.5 per cent U.S. tariff on models built in China.

The Chinese-made EX30 compact crossover is the most affordable, fastest accelerating and greenest Volvo yet.

Volvo's mini model has a sticker price that suggests the automakers battery-electric vehicles might reach price parity with their combustion engine counterparts sooner than many expect.

The EX30 "has the potential to really take off, as it's going to basically own its segment for the foreseeable future," Volvo Car USA CEO Michael Cottone told sibling publication Automotive News.

Volvo focused on centralization in the new nameplate's design and engineering to get to the lower price point.

The EX30 sits atop the Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) platform, which underpins vehicles from other Geely group brands.

Francesco Speciale, who oversees the EX30's market strategy, said using that platform "across many more cars enables a cost efficiency for EX30."

An aero design, meanwhile, allows for a smaller, less expensive battery without compromising the EX30's driving range. A low hood and air curtains up front combined with a roof drop in the rear reduce drag and boost energy efficiency.

A 69-kilowatt-hour battery delivers 275 miles (440 kilometres) in the single-motor version and 265 miles (425 km) in a dual-motor performance variant. The EX30 battery can charge to 80 per cent from 10 per cent in 26.5 minutes.

Next year, Volvo will bring more rugged looks to the EX30 with a Cross Country variant, tricked out with skidplates, black panels on the front bumper and trunk lid, and a small, hood-mounted Swedish flag.

Volvo's mission to design and engineer the EX30 to minimize cost did not mean sacrificing premium status.

"We've prioritized what's important for the brand," said Akhil Krishnan, head of Volvo's small car programs. "Instead of taking cost away from the interactive surfaces and materials, we've taken cost away from electronics and technology by making them simpler and more efficient."

Volvo consolidated the front door speakers into a sound bar underneath the windshield and moved the window switches to the centre console. That boosted door storage capacity and trimmed manufacturing cost and complexity.

Following Tesla's lead, Volvo also ditched the instrument cluster. It moved critical driving information, such as speed and range levels, to a 12.3-inch infotainment display running the vehicle's Google-services Android Automotive operating system.

"We have centralized a lot of elements that would normally drive cost in a higher-segment car," Speciale said.

The centre console maximizes versatility with a sliding system to accommodate different-size items, such as a handbag or smartphone.

The design team was "super efficient in how they carved out little cavities around the car to create more usable storage space," Flanagan said. "The EX30 has a lot of smart space."

Volvo wanted the EX30 to build on its two brand pillars — safety and sustainability.

The crossover debuts Volvo's next-generation parking assist technology to take the hassle out of parallel parking and maneuvering into tight spots.

The EX30 uses sensors to keep its occupants and those around it safe. A safety system warns via visual and audio cues if the driver or passenger is about to open the door in front of a passing cyclist or pedestrian.

The EX30's diminutive footprint extends beyond its 104.3-inch wheelbase.

The vehicle has a 25-per-cent lower carbon footprint than Volvo's XC40 and C40 electric crossovers.

Volvo said about a quarter of the model's aluminum and about 17 per cent of its steel and plastic are recycled.