Volvo has announced to sell only electric cars in the Indian market from 2025. The Swedish brand has confirmed the launch of the Volvo C40 Recharge in India, and the launch will happen by the end of this year. The C40 will be the company’s second electric car in the Recharge line-up. The announcement was made by Nick Connor, Head of APEC, Volvo Cars. Well, we got in touch with the man himself for a quick chat to understand how Volvo plans to grow with just electric vehicles in a market that is still in a developing state with charging infrastructure . More importantly, he revealed the key to winning a petrolhead’s trust and love for the electric vehicle. Read excerpts of the conversation below.
How do you see Volvo doing in the Indian market, and what kind of market share does it hold when global sales are considered?
Well, nice to be here. This is my first time in India as part of my first visit to the country since I took over the role. So I’m really happy to be here, and I think it’s an attractive market. Also, it is an exceptionally complex market in many ways, but I am really happy with the performance of Volvo Cars India over the last few years. We certainly faced some challenges with supply chains, but we made the best of what was available. Volvo has managed to grow volumes year on year and has delivered very good results for the Indian market. I am super optimistic about 2023.
In the Indian market, recently, we have seen new buzzwords – strong hybrid and born electric platforms, and skateboard architecture platforms. How does Volvo view these buzzwords?
Therefore, we have decided that we will only sell hybrid cars and fully battery electric vehicles in India. And our hybrid cars are mild hybrids. We don’t have plug-in-hybrids anymore because we decide to focus on those two types of cars and we want to get up to speed as quickly as possible. The only thing stopping us from moving from petrol to pure battery electric vehicles is the global supply as we have seen huge demand for our bivvy here. We have a long waiting list, which is a great thing. It’s also a little frustrating because we’d love to get the cars, and then be able to get them out to consumers a little bit more quickly. But I’m very optimistic that we’ll see a move to battery-electric vehicles in the next few years.
Also Read – Volvo To Sell Only Battery Electric Vehicles In India From 2025, Confirms Nick Connor
Electric charging infrastructure in the country is still at a nascent stage. How does Volvo plan to contribute to its growth and keep charging issues away from consumers?
We decided that we will bundle the home charging units in the price of the car so that the consumers have a choice while buying the car whether they want to install the charging unit at their home or at their workplace or indeed anywhere else. So we assure them that they can charge as little as possible while at home or work or wherever they want. Also, I agree, and I don’t think the infrastructure is there yet or where it needs to be, but I know the Indian government is focusing a lot on it. And the government is keen to accelerate the creation of infrastructure to support the planned growth for EVs. We’re doing a lot on our part, and I think part of my team’s job here is to lobby officials to continue the acceleration of that infrastructure development.
There is a slight delay in terms of shipments coming to India. Thus, it is understandable that your order book is full. Can you give us some clarity on this?
I am not going to disclose the exact number. Yes, the average weight of battery electric vehicles here is between four and five months. So, it is quite a large order book, and we are trying very hard to manufacture cars here as fast as possible as we make them locally in Bangalore. We have a CKD production plant down under, so all BEVs we sell here are locally manufactured in India. We are the only premium brand to do so. I think it’s a big differentiator for what’s in this market and consumers have responded well to it, so our challenge is to really ramp up the supply within India to bring down the little wait times Can go Because, I think consumers get fed up if they have to wait more than six months, and I totally understand that we’re working really hard to get the waiting list down a little bit.
The used car market is flourishing with long waiting lists for new cars. On that note, is Volvo planning to enter the used car market?
Yes, I mean the used car market is booming. With relatively new brand in India. So, we don’t have a massive used car park, but we are testing what we call ‘Select’, which is our used car program where cars are thoroughly vetted. In this way, we want to give the confidence of a new car to the old car consumer. I think it’s a way of getting people into the brand who otherwise wouldn’t be able to buy a car from us and it’s definitely something we’re developing here. It has been very strong in many other markets around the world and I think it will do very well in India as we build up the number of used cars available to consumers.
Since we’re moving towards electric cars, petrolheads are generally not very happy about this change, and I think it’s because they haven’t experienced electric cars yet. How do you think Volvo is going to fight the perception of petrolheads?
We still offer mild-hybrid petrol cars. Of course, there is a demand for them. But the best way to convince a petrolhead of the benefits of a battery-electric vehicle is to hand them the keys and let them drive it. You know when you get an XC40 BEV, and you do 100 kilometers in 4.9 seconds, that’s a very compelling argument for someone who likes speed, who likes to drive fast. likes. You sacrifice very little, and you gain a lot with a battery-electric vehicle in terms of acceleration. driving dynamics are unaffected
There I go, acceleration will be a strong feature of the upcoming Volvo C40 Recharge, along with its coupe-like roofline. When exactly is it coming, and what are you expecting from it?
Volvo C40 Recharge, we have launched in other markets. So, it’s been very well received. I think it’s a very cool looking car, and it has a bit more sporty character than the XC40 Recharge. So, yes, I am sure it will do well in India once it is launched in Q4 this year.