Fully-electric Volvo XC40 sold out for 2021 before Australian launch

The first ever fully-electric Volvo has sold out before it has been officially launched in Australia.

Volvo Car Australia says its 2021 allocation of the XC40 Recharge Pure Electric has been exhausted already, and a request for extra 2022 production has been sent to Sweden.

The XC40 EV’s delayed release, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, hasn’t deterred customer orders after pricing and specifications for the flagship variant were announced in June.

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Priced from $76,990 before on-road costs, the Recharge Pure Electric is the most expensive model in the XC40 compact SUV range. It carries a $12,000 premium over the Recharge plug-in hybrid model.

The all-wheel-drive Pure Electric features an electric motor on each axle and a 78kWh battery pack, with total outputs quoted at 300kW and 660Nm.

The specifications give it a significant performance advantage over the rival Mercedes-Benz EQA250, which is almost identically priced – starting from $76,800.

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Volvo says the XC40 Recharge Pure Electric accelerates from 0-100km/h in 4.9 seconds. The front-wheel-drive EQA250, with 140kW and 375Nm, is four seconds slower.

The electric, GLA-based Mercedes has a longer estimated driving range of up to 480km – whereas Volvo quotes up to 418km for its rival model.

The XC40 EV is a relatively crucial new variant for Volvo, considering the Swedish brand is planning to sell only electric vehicles from 2030 onwards.

As part of its interim electrification strategy, the company is already dropping models purely powered by internal combustion engines. The sole exception in Australia is the XC40, which is still available with turbocharged petrol engines.

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The XC60 and XC90 SUVs are available with either mild-hybrid or plug-in hybrid versions; the S60 sports sedan and V60 Cross Country are now singularly offered with a mild-hybrid drivetrain.

Volvo Car Australia isn’t divulging the number of Pure Electrics already sold, though Wheels understands it’s not insignificant.

The company says the next available deliveries of the electric XC40 will be February 2022.

“We are thrilled that the success of our XC40 has extended to our newest addition, the XC40 Recharge Pure Electric,” said company spokesperson Greg Bosnich.

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“It feels like history repeating itself, as we faced the very same scenario when we introduced the first ever Volvo XC40 to Australia in 2018. It is a testament to our XC40 and its popularity that it continues to be the standout performer in the compact luxury SUV segment.”

The XC40 is Volvo’s most popular model in Australia, with 2928 sales up to the end of August representing a 56 per cent increase.

Volvo Car Australia is set to comfortably break its local sales record of 7779 vehicles, set in 2019. Despite a slight blip in August, where sales dipped three per cent compared with August 2020, the company is currently on track to reach its target of 10,000 units in 2021.

It has sold 6724 Volvos so far in 2021, with four months remaining.

The next electric vehicle to come to Australia from the Volvo Group will be the Polestar 2, due when Volvo’s sister electric performance brand launches locally towards the end of the year.