Wicked viking

With 300 kW on tap and a trendy sloped-roof design, the Volvo C40 takes the fight to its German EV rivals - and then some

Following the addition of the all-electric Volvo XC40 Recharge to the South African market, the Swedish brand has now expanded its EV offering with the swanky C40 Recharge. It's a niche crossover with swooping four-door coupé styling that maintains all the familiar character one would expect from a Volvo product.

This P8 Ultimate variant (the only iteration available in SA) is powered by a twin-motor, all wheel-drive set-up, and it's one of the fastest-accelerating Volvo products ever built.

Price: R1 285 000
Electric motor type: permanent magnet synchronous, front & rear
Transmission: single-speed auto
Power: 300 kW
Torque: 660 N.m
0–100 km/h: 4,7 seconds*
Top speed: 180 km/h*
Energy consumption: 21,1 kWh/100 km (combined WLTP)*
Rivals: BMW iX1, Mercedes-Benz EQA

Powered by a claimed 78 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, the C40 produces a combined 300 kW and 660 N.m. With such stupendous performance figures, the sprint to 100 km/h is completed in 4,7 seconds. This makes it effectively as fast as an Audi RS Q3 Sportback. At the Volvo's rain-soaked launch event in Franschhoek, the C40 performed effortlessly, offering heaps of traction and confidence in the wet, as well as more than enough grunt for overtaking lumbering trucks.