Volvo plans electrified XC20 small SUV

As the Volvo XC40 Recharge electric starts rolling off the assembly line in Europe, the company has hinted it has a smaller battery electric SUV under development.

Dubbed the XC10 and XC20 in speculation – both names have been registered by Volvo – the existence of the new model has been fundamentally confirmed by global boss Hakan Samuelsson.

Speaking to the English publication Auto Express at the Beijing Auto Show last week, Samuelsson talked about Volvo developing a small electric SUV on a new electrified architecture developed by its Chinese parent Geely.

Dubbed SEA, or Sustainable Experience Architecture, it made its debut under the Lynk & Co Zero Concept at the Beijing show.

In a radical move, Geely will not only make SEA available to its own subsidiaries including Volvo, Polestar and Lynk & Co, but also to other manufacturers as an open-source design.

Samuelsson confirmed the XC20 is one of several electrified models Volvo plans to roll out between now and 2025 as its targets 50 per cent of sales volumes for EVs by 2025 and the remainder for hybrids.

Volvo launched its first plug-in hybrid version of the XC40 in Australia this year and adds the electric in the second half of 2021.

Asked if a sub-40 Volvo model would be an SUV, Samuelsson replied:

“Yes – good guess! It has to be premium, and SUVs are very popular, but it should be all-electric too. I think the SUVs in the future might not be exactly as SUVs are today. Ground clearance and off-roading capability are probably not the most important things now.”

Like all other XC40s, the Recharge electric is based on the Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) that underpins both orthodox ICE and electrified vehicles.

The new Polestar 2 is also based on CMA. It has been subject to a recent recall and is due in Australia in the first quarter of 2022.

“It’s difficult to push the CMA platform, which is a combination platform for EVs and combustion-engined cars, further down. So if you want to do a smaller car than XC40 then SEA can do it. We will use it for that,” Samuelsson said

Meanwhile, Recharge electric production began on October 1 at Volvo’s plant in Ghent, Belgium.

Volvo says customer demand for its first EV has been strong and the car is sold out until the end of 2020. First examples will be with European customers later this month.

The all-wheel drive XC40 Recharge offers a projected range of over 400km (WLTP) on a single charge and output of 304kW. The battery can charge to 80 per cent of its capacity in approximately 40 minutes on a fast-charger system.

Volvo engineers have completely redesigned and reinforced the Recharge electric’s frontal structure to address the absence of an engine and meet Volvo’s safety requirements.

The battery pack is protected by a safety cage embedded in the middle of the car’s body structure. Its placement in the floor of the car also lowers the centre of gravity of the car, for better protection against roll-overs.

Because it has no internal combustion engine, the car offers more storage space via a frunk under the front hood.

Inside, Volvo says a new, Android-powered infotainment system offers customers “unprecedented” personalisation, improved levels of intuitiveness and embedded Google technology and services, such as the Google Assistant, Google Maps and the Google Play Store.

The XC40 Recharge electric also receives larger software and operating system updates over the air.