Volvo Cars Looks To Bolster Its Growing EV Market Share In South Africa, Adds Flagship Volvo EX90

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Volvo’s flagship luxurious SUV, the EX90, will be a part of the South African lineup within the 1st half of 2025.

After a number of years of getting BMW prime the BEV gross sales charts and still have the biggest market share, Volvo Vehicles South Africa is now firmly within the driving seat. BMW had been the chief in South Africa by way of constantly bringing battery electrical automobiles to South Africa since about 2015 when it introduced the i3. The i3 went on to prime the BEV gross sales charts in South Africa for a number of years. The iX3, the iX, and the MINI Cooper SE adopted and had been additionally common options on the BEV podium. BMW remains to be there and thereabouts, with the BMW iX3 coming in second place within the 2024 BEV gross sales charts in South Africa, however Volvo Vehicles has surged.

Right here is how the BEV market is wanting in the intervening time in South Africa: The South African BEV market is tiny in the intervening time, with solely 0.24% of all vehicles sold in South Africa being battery electric in 2024. 515,712 automobiles had been bought in South Africa in 2024 and only one,257 BEVs had been bought in 2024. That’s nonetheless very low! With solely 3,212 BEVs bought since 2018, it’s clear to see that gross sales of BEVs have been gradual in South Africa in comparison with related auto markets all over the world. That is as a result of restricted number of BEV fashions within the nation, coupled with excessive import duties and taxes levied on electrical automobiles.

Volvo Vehicles has responded to the decision by providing an growing vary of fashions for a few years now in addition to launching the EX30 compact SUV in 2024. The introduction of the EX30 was nicely obtained, because the EX30 set a brand new document for variety of items bought by a single mannequin in a calendar yr. In 2024, the Volvo EX30 led the way in which with 406 gross sales, taking 32.3% of the BEV market. In second place was the BMW iX3 with 221 items, taking 17.6% of the BEV market. In third place was the Volvo XC40 with 103 items, which was 8.2% of the BEV market. 406 items could be very spectacular within the present market atmosphere. Have a look at it this fashion: about 2 years previous to that, solely 502 BEVs had been bought in South Africa in the entire of 2022. Meaning in 2024, Volvo Vehicles South Africa bought sufficient EX30s to be equal to 81% of all BEVs bought in South Africa in 2022. That simply goes to indicate how nicely the introduction of a great BEV mannequin that’s competitively priced in its car section can do on this small however rising market. Previous to that, the Volvo XC40 had topped the BEV gross sales charts in South Africa in 2023, promoting  150 items that yr.

Constructing on this success, Volvo Vehicles South Africa has simply confirmed that its flagship electrical SUV, the EX90, is coming to South Africa! Volvo Vehicles says that the EX90 is engineered to be the most secure Volvo ever, and introduces the marque’s invisible security protect. Volvo Vehicles says this revolutionary system combines superior sensing know-how, together with cameras, radars, and LiDAR, to guard the car’s occupants and different street customers. These elements are seamlessly built-in with the EX90’s cutting-edge car computer systems, powered by Volvo’s proprietary software program and NVIDIA DRIVE know-how.

The EX90 is constructed on Volvo’s superior SPA2 platform and joins the model’s rising lineup of battery-electric automobiles, which incorporates the EX30, C40 Recharge, and XC40 Recharge. The EX90 is available in Twin Motor Efficiency guise, and right here the EX90 delivers 380 kW of energy and 910 N.m of torque, making certain easy, highly effective efficiency. This permits the EX90 to speed up from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.9 seconds, providing easy energy and refined progress.

Felipe YagiHead of Advertising and marketing & Communications at Volvo Car South Africais assured the EX90 will resonate with these searching for a spacious, luxurious household SUV with out compromising their alternative for an electrical car. “The EX90 has already made a strong impression internationally, and we’re thrilled to see it debut on South African roads,” mentioned Yagi. “With its cutting-edge safety features and luxurious interior, the EX90 embodies the essence of a flagship Volvo, redefining perceptions of electrified luxury.”

Volvo provides that the EX90 achieves a powerful 751 km on a single cost in city driving and 604 km on the mixed cycle, making it well-suited for prolonged street journeys. It has a 111 kWh battery that may be recharged from 10% to 80% in simply half-hour utilizing a 250 kW DC quick charger, making certain minimal downtime throughout journeys. South Africa already has a rising ultrafast charging community, that means drivers of the EX90 can get to expertise its full charging capabilities.

Volvo says that the Volvo EX90 and the model’s different electrical fashions exemplify its dedication to electrification. The Swedish automaker continues to offer varied electrified choices throughout its lineup in South Africa, together with battery-electric automobiles (BEVs), plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), and gentle hybrids, “catering to diverse preferences.” By 2030, Volvo goals to have electrified automobiles — together with BEVs and PHEVs — account for 90–100% of its world gross sales. Native pricing and specs for the EX90 lineup will probably be introduced nearer to the South African launch later this yr.

Wanting on the prime three greatest promoting fashions in South Africa — the Volvo EX30, the BMW iX3, the Volvo XC40 — or actually the highest 6 bestselling fashions, they’re largely compact SUVs aside from the iX and MINI hatchback. The iX is a bigger SUV. This goes to indicate that SUVs are the preferred BEVs obtainable in South Africa. Most of them begin from round R800,000, with the iX3 and iX going for greater than R1 million. In actual fact, the iX begins from over R1.75 million. Within the wider context, the iX has performed fairly nicely on this market. The iX1 can be within the combine, beginning at about R1.2 million. The Volvo EX30 begins from round R775,000 and is probably the most inexpensive battery electrical automobiles amongst these automobiles and you’ll see why it tops the gross sales charts. South Africa wants extra inexpensive BEV fashions to essentially catalyse gross sales. I’m hoping 2025 is the yr we see extra sub-R500,000 BEVs in South Africa.