Volvo has become the latest European carmaker to enter the Indian electric vehicle market. The carmaker launched its XC40 Recharge SUV in India for Rs 55.90 lakh, marking the debut of the car in India almost a year ago. The big difference is that where we now get a facelifted SUV that gets styling updates on the exterior and interior, though the powertrain remains the same. Additionally, instead of importing the model as a CBU Volvo is locally assembling its EV in India, with its pricing placing it in the same range as the Kia EV6 crossover.
Unlike the Kia EV6, the Volvo is not a ground up electric vehicle, with the car using the same base as the regular XC40. Volvo’s electric SUV is available in a single full-loaded variant with an all-wheel drive electric powertrain as standard. Meanwhile Kia is built on a purpose-built EV platform with a design that shares little in common with any of Kia’s other global models and powertrain options.
In terms of pricing, Volvo has the advantage of keeping it priced below Rs 4 lakh from the rear-wheel-drive EV6. The EV6 is also available in a more powerful AWD configuration, priced at Rs 64.95 lakh (ex-showroom). What plays to Volvo’s advantage here is that the car is locally assembled with Kia currently importing the EV6 in India only as a CBU. Should the carmaker decides to assemble its EVs locally, we can expect the prices to come down significantly.
Although the Kia’s size advantage is both taller and wider than the compact Volvo. The XC40 is however the more powerful of the two, with the twin-motor AWD powertrain producing 402 bhp and 660 Nm of torque. The EV6 meanwhile develops 226 bhp and 350 Nm in the rear-drive and 321 bhp and 605 Nm in the all-wheel-drive spec. However, the EV6 offers a range advantage of up to 528 km on a single charge of 418 km by Volvo.
The XC40 will also take on the Hyundai Ioniq 5 – Kia’s sister model – in the coming months. Hyundai has confirmed that it will launch its EV in India this year. Unlike the EV6, Hyundai will be assembling its EV locally in India, which should give it an advantage in terms of pricing. We expect the Ioniq 5 to be priced in the range of Rs 35 – 40 lakh (ex-showroom), with Hyundai initially expected to bring the car to India with a smaller 58kWh battery pack and rear-wheel drive configuration.