When Volvo first announced its small, all-electric EX30, I was excited. Regardless of powertrain, a brand-new Volvo starting at approximately $35,000 was a big deal to me. I might have even suggested online that the EX30 was the most important Volvo ever, full stop. There’s no reason why this vehicle shouldn’t be a global sales success.
Then, former-President Joe Biden gave the Volvo a reason why it wouldn’t be a sales success: He attached a 100 percent tariff on all-electric vehicles coming from China. With Volvo’s parent Geely manufacturing the EX30 in China, the value proposition quickly vanished. Fortunately for Volvo, there is a production facility in Ghent, Belgium, that can pick up the slack for export to the United States. The plant currently builds the EC40 and XC40 Recharge, so adding another battery-electric vehicle shouldn’t take too much time.
Why do I care? Because the EX30 I was the most excited about wasn’t the street-focused standard model but the off-the-beaten-path-but-not-really-off-road Cross Country variant.
Source : https://arstechnica.com/cars/2025/02/volvo-added-plenty-of-charm-to-the-ex30-cross-country-ev/
