Taking charge

THIS PAIR SQUARE UP ON PRICE, BUT ALL IS NOT EQUAL WHEN JAPAN TAKES ON SWEDEN FOR DOMINANCE IN THE COMPACT ELECTRIC SUV SEGMENT

- JEZ SPINKS

IT’S TRICKY TO pinpoint exactly when the world’s luxury car brands hit their respective panic buttons, upon realising the Tesla-inspired and emissions-influenced electric-car revival was neither another GM EV1 moment nor an industry anomaly.

Audi, BMW and Mercedes are all just about on an EV roll in the catch-up game, yet only now are we seeing the first battery vehicles from Lexus and Volvo.

The lateness of an electric Lexus is particularly surprising when you consider its parent company pioneered hybrid technology more than two decades ago.

Electrification seems a natural fit for a brand as wholesome as Volvo, too, and the Swedish company, after stating in 2017 it would offer a mix of variously electrified vehicles from 2025, has since declared all its cars will be fully electric from 2030. Lexus has even more recently stated its intention to adopt the same strategy from 2035.

Their battery-powered debutants – the Lexus UX300e and Volvo XC40 Recharge Pure Electric – couldn’t be much closer in concept: compact luxury SUVs just under 4.5 metres in length; built on adapted platforms designed to initially accommodate petrol and hybrid drivetrains; fastest models in their respective ranges; flagships priced in the mid-$70,000 zone. And each is differentiated visually from its petrol or hybrid siblings in subtle ways. Main giveaways are the ‘Electric’ badging applied to the UX300e’s doors, and the slab of plastic slotted into the spot where the XC40’s conventional grille usually sits.

Our high-specification, dual-motor XC40 Pure Electric was priced from $76,990 when tested, before an MY22 increase to $79,990 was announced in late December. This was accompanied by confirmation of an incoming single-motor variant that will cost $72,990 before on-road charges.