- Volvo’s latest model, the EX30 small electric car, has been delayed until 2025
- Volvo cites tariffs imposed on US on electric vehicles made in China, where EX30 production is planned
- Volvo accelerates production shift from China to factory in Ghent, Belgium
The Volvo EX30 small electric crossover will not come to the US market this summer as originally planned. On Wednesday, Volvo Car USA informed dealers that deliveries have been delayed until 2025.
Volvo said it will offer customers unspecified pre-order options to drive other new Volvos until the most affordable car in Volvo’s stable arrives. Initially, the base EX30 Core with a single engine and rear-wheel drive was priced at $36,245, including destination. That makes it one of the most affordable electric cars aside from the Nissan Leaf. In testing in March this year, The hatch is a fun size feels like a deal that’s too good to be true. The dual-motor Ultra AWD tops the list at $47,895.
Volvo spokesman Russell Datz cited reasons beyond Volvo’s control for the delay.
“There have been a lot of changes in the global automotive landscape since we made the announcement (late 2023),” Datz told Green Car Reports in a phone interview. “Tariffs played a role in that decision.”
Last year, Volvo planned to shift production of affordable electric vehicles from China Gent, Belgiumstarting in 2025. That’s before Biden Administration announced in May 2024 EV tax increase from 25% to 100%. Tariffs on lithium-ion batteries and other key components in the battery components supply chain increased from 7.5% to 25%.
In another series of low-cost electric vehicles from China flooding the global market, the European Union last week proposed tax rate of 38% on importing electric vehicles from China
Currently, there is no domestically produced EV with a starting price as low as planned with the EX30.
As Volvo ramps up production in Ghent, the EX30’s U.S. delivery date is around 2025. There are no plans for domestic production, such as at the Swedish brand’s new factory in Charleston, South Carolina, where production of the model will begin. Volvo EX90 2025 electric three-row crossover SUV launched in June.
Volvo couldn’t commit to whether the EX30 will still be branded as a 2025 model when it arrives.
