On March 29, 2010, headlines in the newspapers were about an extraordinary deal: Ford, which needed cash to survive the global economic crisis, sold its Swedish Volvo to the Chinese company Geely for 1.8 billion dollars. Many tears were shed and eulogies were written about the venerable manufacturer, now passing into the hands of skilled owners who will take its technology and send its employees to pack furniture parts at IKEA. Volvo ended that year with a production of 373 thousand cars - a further increase of 11% compared to the previous year.
Look ahead to Volvo's results in 2023: Sales of 709 thousand cars, a 15% increase. One out of eight of them will be electric. Production lines in Sweden and Belgium are joined by factories in the United States and China. Polestar, which 14 years ago was a small racing workshop, is now a subsidiary of Volvo specializing in electric vehicle production, and by the end of the year will also sell three crossover models in the country.
It seems that Shufu, founder of Geely and chairman of Volvo, who also holds 10% of Mercedes, knows what he's doing. Volvo's current goal is to produce 1.2 million cars per year by 2025, and to transition to producing only electric cars by 2030.
The car that I am currently driving in the Barcelona area is supposed to contribute a significant portion to the missing capacity. The EX30 is supposed to be responsible for a significant part of this addition. For the first time in years, the Swedes have an entry-level model that will be sold in the country for less than 200,000 shekels, as well as an electric crossover. Volvo is still a small manufacturer, but Geely has given it access to its new platform, enabling it to handle the development costs of a new and significant model.
The downside is that there are already two direct competitors on the same platform: the Samart 1 and the Zeekr X, both being produced alongside the EX30 at the same factory in Zhangjiakou, China. The last time Volvo shared a production line and platform, in the 90s in the Netherlands, it resulted in their S40 and the pale Citroen C5. So is the EX30 a true Volvo or a Chinese car with a Swedish badge?
Design-wise, this is the first car from Volvo that is designed from the start as an electric vehicle only. The dimensions are compact, smaller than the Tesla Model Y and the Hyundai Ioniq 5, as well as the competing Samart and Zeekr: 4.23 meters in length, 1.84 meters in width, a height of 1.55 meters, and a wheelbase of 2.65 meters. On the other hand, it is very convenient when parking parallel to the road and finding parking in general.
As an electric car, the EX30 has lost the traditional Volvo grill and gained a more streamlined and aerodynamic one. The handles fold into the doors, and the rear door opens by pressing a button on its upper part, for the same reasons. Although not manufactured in Gothenburg, it is easy to recognize the small Volvo in it, and with the roof being released in test drive cars, which is not offered in the basic equipment level, it is definitely a nice car, with a neat play in the LED headlights, built in the shape of Thor's hammer, with more squares lit in the road and high light than in the basic lighting.
Driver's environment: the design is very clean, neat, and Swedish, with an emphasis on the use of recycled materials - 17% of the plastic and 25% of the steel in the car were already part of another car in the past. There is an abundance of storage compartments, including a glove compartment that went between the driver and passenger and is accessible to both, and another two-tier compartment below it.
Yet, I would still want to hear the person responsible for the human engineering of this car in response to the return of Albanian songs in the Eurovision. There is no separate screen for the driver, everything is concentrated on a 12.3-inch display in the center of the car. The top part serves as the instrument cluster, the rest for navigation and operating the car's systems, skipping between busy screens. And although there is a shortcut screen, and even quick shortcuts for climate control - even to turn on the lights, you have to go between two screens, press in three different areas, and confirm by pressing a button on the steering wheel.
The window operation buttons are also centralized between the driver and the passenger, when there are only two. Want to open a window for the child in the back? A press of a third button activates both rear window buttons. Want to operate it directly? There is a lever at the end of the indicator stalk. Thankfully, Volvo left a physical option for adjusting the ventilation openings, and they didn't send us to the screen for that either.
Volvo responds to this criticism. A senior official who attended the launch admitted to "Maariv" that the company is already working on enlarging the fonts on the screen, and that the interior update will include a superior display of data on the windshield.
Perhaps on the same occasion, it would be worth adding an air conditioning outlet for the rear seat. Increasing the space would require more than just an interior update - the EX30 is the smallest of the three twins, and it shows in the knee space of a compact car. Headroom is good.
The cargo compartment has a volume of only 318 liters, and there is another small one (7 liters) for the charging cable, in the front. This really affects IKEA's business model.
Equipment: The basic CORE model, which costs 190,000 shekels, comes with lightweight 18-inch wheels, a 12.3-inch screen, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay integration, a stereo with voice projection, keyless entry and ignition, rear parking sensors, reverse cameras, rain sensor, climate control, and fog lights.
The PLUS version (starting at 222,000 shekels for rear-wheel drive, 243,000 shekels for all-wheel drive) adds a Harman Kardon stereo with subwoofer, USB-C ports in the back as well as in the front, wireless charging for mobile devices, and lightweight 19-inch rims.
The ULTRA version (starting at 243,000 shekels for rear-wheel drive, 253,000 shekels for all-wheel drive) upgrades to an electric driver's seat and heated front seats.
Safety: All versions come with 11 airbags, lane departure correction, proximity alert, automatic braking, off-road vehicle warning, adaptive cruise control, rear cross-traffic detection with braking, and more. The adaptive cruise control works well, even in maintaining the lane.
Engine and performance: There is a choice between two propulsion systems, rear-wheel drive with a combined engine output of 272 horsepower, and all-wheel drive with two engines for a total output of 428 horsepower. Although the EX30 is not large, together with the batteries, it weighs from 1.8 tons, which is not light, but the weight is not felt in acceleration. Even the basic model takes less than 6 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h, and the all-wheel drive version takes only 3.6 seconds, making it the fastest Volvo ever.
Driving both of them, like any good electric car, the acceleration is at the level of a sports car and feels effortless, especially in sport mode, which makes them even more agile. It is possible to overtake almost anywhere it is allowed, and you will almost always be the first at the traffic light, unless there is another powerful electric car next to you. The 428 horsepower version already delivers performance levels of supercars at a fraction of the price. You don't need anything, but you have everything you ever wanted. Just be cautious around new drivers, as this level of performance can be dangerous on public roads, especially for inexperienced drivers.
Range and Battery: There is a choice between two batteries. The base model comes with a 51 kWh battery and a range of only 344 km. The rest upgrade to a 69 kWh battery, which extends the range to 480 km in the 272 hp version and 460 km with the dual-motor version at 428 hp. In practice, with a consumption of about 20 kWh per 100 km in test driving, you can expect slightly less than 300 km with the smaller battery and less than 400 km with the larger battery. Fast charging is possible at a reasonable rate of up to 153 kW (only 134 kW in the base model) and slow charging at 11 kW in the base models and 22 kW in the ULTRA trim level.
Comfort and Behavior: The compact dimensions contribute to good maneuverability in the city and even more so on winding roads. The electric Volvo turns quickly, with slight body inclination. The ride comfort is also relatively good.
Bottom line: The EX30 is more than just an electric car. It demonstrates that a small company like Volvo can survive in the 21st century (in contrast to Saab, may it rest in peace) and take advantage of the resources of the group that acquired it to expand its product range. Currently, it is manufactured in China, but starting from 2025 it will also be built in Belgium, and considering the 7% exemption from customs duties for European cars, it is reasonable to assume that the import to Israel will shift to the factory in Ghent.
The car itself is stylish and well-equipped, and is mainly suitable for couples, young and older individuals, and less for family use. A nice car, Swedish in nature, agile and enjoyable to drive. On the other hand, its price seems cheap at first, but has become relatively less appealing compared to its twin competitors, and also compared to prices in Europe, especially considering the limited range of the base version. Volvo has already announced that it will also launch the basic CORE version with the larger battery, hopefully this version will also arrive in the country before the necessary advancements in human engineering and at a competitive price.
At the end of the day, the electric car market is growing and Volkswagen's success in launching one with character is not surprising. Given the slow response of German luxury car manufacturers to the affordable crossover challenge, its commercial success is assured.
The writer was a guest of Volkswagen in Spain.
ID / Volkswagen EX30
Engine: Electric, single with 272 hp in the rear-wheel drive version, dual with 428 km in the all-wheel drive version
Transmission: Automatic direct gearbox
Performance (manufacturer): 0-100 km/h in 5.7/5.3 seconds in the rear-wheel drive version, 3.6 seconds in the all-wheel drive version. Top speed: 180 km/h. Range (manufacturer): 344 km with the small battery, 460-480 km with the large battery
Safety: Not tested in a crash test. Full active safety
Warranty: 3 years or 100,000 km for the vehicle, 8 years or 160,000 km for the battery
Liked: Design, interior space, performance, and behavior
Disliked: Operation, rear and cargo space, price