Volvo has announced that it plans to offer an all electric vehicle by 2019, and at the Geneva auto show the CEO of Volvo Cars USA let slip some more details of its EV plans.
According to a report from Automotive News, CEO Lex Kerssemakers told U.S. auto journalists that the Volvo EV will have at least 250 miles of electric range and cost between $35,000 and $40,000.
"That's what I put in as the prerequisite for the United States," Kerssemakers said. "If I want to make a point in the United States, if I want to make volumes, that's what I believe I need."
Those numbers would put the Volvo EV in the neighborhood of the Chevrolet Bolt EV, which has 238 miles of range and a starting price of $37,495, and the forthcoming Tesla Model 3. Tesla is promising a starting price of $35,000 for its mainstream model and production may start as early as July this year.
Volvo has still not announced what form the EV will take, though a previous report suggested it could be a crossover.
That still leaves speculation about the size of the vehicle and what platform it will use. If it's larger, it could use the SPA platform that underpins the XC90, the new XC60, and the 90 Series sedan and wagon. If it's smaller, the CMA platform marked for the XC40 compact crossover due in early 2018 could be the basis. Given the lower price point, the CMA platform could be more likely.
We will follow this story as it develops, but it looks like Volvo wants to be a real player in the electric vehicle market, and fairly soon.
