Volvo’s forthcoming electric-only compact crossover, tipped to be called the EX30, will feature bold new design elements and technology in a bid to help the firm win over a younger audience.
Set to be revealed this year before sales kick off in October, the EX30 is likely to rival the Mercedes-Benz EQA and will sit below the existing Volvo XC40 Recharge and Volvo C40 models in the firm’s growing line-up of electric SUVs. It is expected to be twinned with the Polestar 4 and will use a modified version of parent Geely’s SEA architecture.
Volvo previewed the new crossover at the launch of the EX90 large SUV last month but it has yet to be drawn on a name or specific details. The firm has registered ‘EX30’ and that would fit with the model’s likely place in Volvo’s line-up.
At the launch of the EX90, company boss Jim Rowan hinted that the model will be aimed at “city driving for first-time buyers”. He specifically cited the need to appeal to Gen Z – people born in the late 1990s and early 2000s – and said the brand “has never really spoken to that young demographic. We are absolutely heading in that direction.”
With the model sitting firmly in one of the fastest-growing segments, it will be key to Volvo’s target of selling 1.2 million cars annually by the middle of the decade, with half of those fully electric models.
Although the official preview image confirms the model will retain traditional Volvo cues, it will feature bolder styling elements to help win over a younger audience. Much like the EX90, it will take the form of a higher-riding crossover but with sleeker bodywork to maximise the aerodynamic efficiency. It is also possible the model could eventually spawn an SUV-coupé offshoot similar to the C40.
At the EX90 launch, Volvo design chief Robin Page said the firm will “start evolving” its design language with the EX30 and future models.