“Volvo Cars is acknowledged for our industry-leading commitment to an electric future. In line with this, locally, we will once again move the brand forward towards its vision by introducing two pure electric vehicles in the second half of 2023,” says Atty. Alberto Arcilla, Volvo Philippines President and CEO.

Although the Swedish premium carmaker is mum on details, it’s understood to be the C40 Recharge (as evidenced by a previous social media teaser) and the XC40 Recharge.

Both models run on the Compact Modular Architecture or CMA platform. The XC40 Recharge is Volvo’s fully electric car, and together with its internal combustion counterpart, was the first model from the brand to win the European Car of the Year. On the other hand, the C40 Recharge is the sleeker counterpart that’s designed with improved aerodynamics in mind. The front shows off Volvo’s new face for its EV line. It also is the first to offer a completely leather-free interior.

The XC40 Recharge and C40 Recharge comes with two powertrain options. The single-motor version has a 231 horsepower, 330 Nm electric motor that drives the front wheels. This version packs a 69-kWh battery enough for a 425-kilometer cruising range (438 kilometers in the C40 Recharge). Meanwhile, the XC40 Recharge Twin AWD comes with dual motors—one on each axle—producing a combined 408 horsepower and 660 Nm. With a 78-kWh battery, t has a 438-kilometer cruising range (451 kilometers in the C40 Recharge).

If Volvo Philippines opts to release the newer 2024 model year versions, these will mark the return of rear-wheel drive in a Volvo, along with a more powerful standard motor (238 horsepower) and more range courtesy of a larger battery pack (82 kWh). For the Recharge Twin AWD variants, it offers an added range of around 34 kilometers, while total outputs remains the same at 408 horsepower.

“We recognize that we, as a mobility provider, are part of the climate change problem. However, we at Volvo also know that we can do our share and be part of the solution,” adds Atty. Arcilla.

The introduction of the XC40 Recharge and the C40 Recharge to the local line boosts the brand’s electrification strategy which began with the launch of the Plug-In Hybrid variants in 2021 (read our review of the Volvo XC60 T8 Twin Engine here). Since then, Volvo has successfully switched over to a fully electrified line-up with other models receiving the Boost Hybrid mild-hybrid system in 2022. Read our review of the Volvo XC40 B5 R-Design here.