First Look: 2022 Volvo C40 Recharge

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With the virtual reveal of its 2022 C40 Recharge early March, Volvo moved one step closer to its goal of making 50 per cent of its 2025 global sales up with electric vehicles.

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The C40 doubles Volvo’s EV stable, joining the recently released XC40 Recharge, and will soon be followed by other electric vehicles from the Swedish automaker. By 2030, the company plans to have 100 per cent of the vehicles it sells be pure electrics.

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The C40 Recharge is based on the same CMA foundation as the XC40 Recharge, but is the first Volvo model to be designed from the ground up as a pure electric vehicle.

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In addition to sharing the same EV architecture as the XC40 Recharge, the C40’s front end is almost identical. However, the new model is the first Volvo to feature headlights with state-of-the-art pixel-technology, which among other things diminishes the glare for oncoming vehicles. It is also the first Volvo to be completely leather-free.

In terms of body design, the C40 differs from the XC40 thanks to a lower roofline; and in the rear end, which has a slanted rear hatch giving the vehicle a silhouette similar to its relative-by-parent-company, the Polestar 2.

As for powertrain, like its SUV stablemate the C40 Recharge features twin motors that provide all-wheel-drive. However it has a slightly larger battery pack — 78 kWh to the XC40’s 75 — and a reported range of 420 kilometres (WLTP rating). According to Volvo, range will increase over time thanks to over-the-air software updates, which are enabled by an unlimited data program. No power output figures have been released, but it should be in the same 400-horsepower ballpark as the XC40 Recharge. The company said using a DC fast-charger, the C40 Recharge can go from empty to 80 per cent battery charge in 40 to 45 minutes.

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The interior borrows heavily from the XC40 Recharge’s minimal, yet very elegant, design. Like the XC40 Recharge, the C40 Recharge comes standard with an infotainment jointly developed with Google and based on the Android operating system. It provides consumers with Google apps and services built-in, such as Google Maps, Google Assistant, and the Google Play Store.

Also standard on the C40 Recharge is a care package that includes items such as service, warranty, roadside assistance, as well as insurance and home charging options.

Almost lost in all the hype surrounding Volvo’s all-new EV was the announcement the C40 Recharge is available for purchase online only at volvocars.com, and moving forward that is the way all the company’s EVs will be sold. According to the company, customers will be able to choose from pre-configured electric Volvos that are ready for simple and convenient ordering and quick delivery. Further convenience and simplification, it continued, comes through transparent and set pricing models.

The 2022 C40 Recharge will go into production alongside the XC40 Recharge at Volvo’s factory in Ghent, Belgium in the fall and deliveries will begin in Canada in the spring of 2022. No pricing details have been announced.