American customers will finally start taking deliveries of their long-awaited Volvo EX30 orders by the end of the year. The EX30 was originally supposed to be delivered to U.S. customers this past summer. However, it was delayed so Volvo could shift some production from the Zhangjiakou factory in China to the Ghent plant in Belgium. While deliveries were initially thought to be postponed until 2025, it looks like some preorder customers will get their cars this year after all.
Most of the customers who preordered the EX30 did so in 2023 after it was initially revealed in Milan, so their orders are being prioritized. And since the most popular preordered model was the dual-motor EX30 Twin Motor Performance, that’s the model that’s getting delivered first. Customers of single-motor cars will still have to wait until 2025, although Volvo hasn’t provided an exact date.
Volvo didn’t specify exactly why the EX30 was delayed, only saying that it was due to “changes in the global automotive landscape.” However, it seems that the delay was tariff-related, as the U.S. put a 100% tariff on Chinese-built electric vehicles. Moving EX30 production to Belgium allows Volvo to sidestep that tariff, thus staying as close to the initially promised $37,540 starting price as possible. However, the Twin Motor Performance model that’s shipping first starts at $46,195.
For that extra money, the Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance gives you an additional motor, making it all-wheel drive, and 422 horsepower, which gets it from 0-60 mph in a claimed 3.4 seconds. It also has a 253-mile range and Volvo says it can fast-charge from 10-80% state of charge in 26 and a half minutes.
Currently, customers taking delivery in 2024 should still be able to get the $7,500 federal EV tax credit, even if the EV isn’t built in the U.S. if they lease it, due to a loophole in the Inflation Reduction Act. So if you want to lease one, you can order your car now and still get the tax credit. However, it’s unclear what the future of EV tariffs and tax benefits holds, so plans could potentially change again.
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