Prepare to see a lot more of this smallest of Volvo EVs before its Malaysian debut later this month.
Here is your first look at the all-new Volvo EX30 in the metal in Malaysia, ahead of its official debut over here at the end of this month! This particular camouflaged example was spotted in Sri Hartamas yesterday early afternoon at time of writing, with word on the street being that many more will be soon be spotted touring around the country in the coming weeks ahead of its eventual local launch.
Now of course, having been out in the wider world since last year already, it is not exactly unknown as to how this newest and smallest addition to Volvo’s EV lineup looks like. For those who need it though, here are a few visual reminders of what lies beneath the camouflage wrap seen on the car above:
In any case, seeing it in the metal did nevertheless better offer a sense of the real size of this all-electric subcompact Volvo crossover. And what can be said from having this camouflaged example conveniently parked next to an Ativa is that the EX30 is larger and chunkier-looking than the Perodua on the road, but honestly not by a very large margin.
While on the topic of the Ativa here too, an alleged quick poke around within this camouflaged example has yielded the observation that the cabin of this slightly larger EX30 is actually just to be about the same size as what the smaller Perodua offers. The rear occupant space in particular of this all-electric Swede was really not all that much different to the compact P2 crossover, with this Volvo further featuring a rather high floor and wide front seats that further compromised rear passenger comfort and visibility respectively.
Oh, this particular EX30 allegedly came with a full glass roof too. A feature which meant that the cabin was roasting after being parked under the Malaysian sun for a couple of hours (and this was already with the camouflage livery being wrapped over it too).
Just deviating into discussing driving for a bit here, this apparent twin motor variant of the EX30 here has been reported to supposedly be supremely fast. This though should not be all that surprising, since this particular spec of compact crossover currently holds the title of being fastest accelerating Volvo ever made, with it managing to rocket from 0-100 km/h in just 3.4 seconds, thanks to a combined 428 PS and 543 Nm of torque output from its pair of drive motors.
It has been said too by those who have driven it that the EX30 is a different beast dynamically to the smart #1, on which it shares its general Geely underpinnings from. International comparison tests between the two have previously put the Volvo as the sharper handler, while also offering a more composed ride.
The big question that unfortunately no one has a definitive answer to thus far is how much this smallest of Volvo EVs will cost. The EX30 currently retails from €36,000 (RM 175,000) in Europe and $36,145 (RM 160,000) North America respectively, which is really what the Swedish automaker has to likely price it over here in order to help this comparatively compact crossover appeal in the current crowded sub-RM 200,000 premium e-SUV segment.
