Volvo’s all-electric XC40 P8 Recharge recently went on sale on the My.Volvo online car store in South Africa, and sold out in four days.
“Just four days after the Volvo XC40 P8 Recharge went on sale in South Africa in mid-May, the initial allocation for the country was sold out,” said the company.
“The unprecedented demand has seen Volvo South Africa secure an additional allocation for customers who narrowly missed out on booking a seat in this revolutionary new SUV.”
The company told TopAuto that 15 build slots for the Volvo XC40 P8 Recharge were reserved for South Africa.
While this figure might seem small compared to the sales of petrol-powered vehicles in the country, the latest EV “roadmap” published by the Department of Trade, Industry, and Competition stated that in 2020, only 92 fully-electric vehicles were sold in South Africa.
“EV sales in South Africa comprised only 92 units, or 0.02% of the total 380,206 vehicles sold in the domestic market in 2020,” noted the report.
This marks an already large local EV market share for the XC40 P8 before official deliveries commence in the fourth quarter of the year.
Volvo XC40 P8 Recharge
The XC40 P8 Recharge is only available through the company’s online car store, at a South African starting price of R1.2 million.
Along with this you get a Volvo Care Package – which comprises a 5-year warranty and maintenance plan, three years of insurance, use of a petrol car for two weeks per year for three years, and a home charger.
The P8 is not sold in trim lines likes its siblings, but comes with a comprehensive standard specification – including:
- Navigation
- Cruise control
- Volvo On Call App
- Voice recognition
- Road sign recognition
- Dual-zone climate control
- 9-inch infotainment display
- 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster
- Leather multifunction steering wheel
It gets driven along by twin electric motors that generate a combined output of 304kW and 660Nm of torque.
This allows the SUV to accelerate from 0-100km/h in 4.9 seconds, and offers a driving range of up to 418km.
Charging from 0-80% can also be achieved within 40 minutes – when a fast-charge plug is connected.
“Volvo South Africa is also rolling out an extensive network of charging stations at its dealerships and, by the end of 2021, each Volvo dealership will have a charging station,” said the company.
Keyword: Volvo XC40 P8 sold out in South Africa – Why it’s a big deal