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Volvo Cars' July sales rise 6% driven by European EVs

COPENHAGEN — Volvo Cars' sales rose 6% year-on-year in July to 57,447 cars, driven by an increase in fully electric vehicles in Europe, the Sweden-based automaker said on Friday. Volvo Cars, which is majority-owned by China's Geely Holding, said in a statement that total sales in Europe, the biggest market for Volvo Cars, were up 40%, while sales in the United States and China fell by 11% and 31%, respectively. "We are pleased to report another month of sales growth, which is driven largely by the sales in Europe despite a generally challenging market environment," deputy CEO and Chief Commercial Officer Bjorn Annwall said in the statement. Sales of fully electric and plug-in hybrid models were up 49% compared to the same period of 2023, especially driven by Europe, and also accounted for 49% of all cars sold during July. Shares in the company fell 0.7% by 0724 GMT, outperforming Stockholm's benchmark stock market index which traded down 2%. Volvo Cars aims to have electric vehicles account for half of its sales by volume by mid-decade and hopes to sell only EVs by 2030.

2025 Volvo EX30 revealed: quick, cute EV at $36K

MILAN — The Volvo EX30 seems like a relatively straightforward EV. But dig a little deeper and you'll find this electric crossover is kind of a big deal. Making its debut in Milan, Italy, on Wednesday, the 2025 EX30 is Volvo's smallest SUV, yet it's also the company's quickest production car ever — by a long shot. Priced from $36,145 including an $1,195 destination charge, the EX30 will be the least expensive model in Volvo's U.S. lineup when it arrives next year. It'll even spawn Volvo's first fully electric Cross Country offering, which we can't wait to see. The EX30's styling cues are pulled straight from the larger EX90 electric SUV, giving it a tough-li'l-guy vibe that's both cute and purposeful. I love the pronounced wheel arches and the two-tone look. You can totally see how, with more ground clearance and some cladding, this EV will easily morph into the EX30 Cross Country that's coming next year. At 166.7 inches long, 72.3 inches wide and 61.1 inches tall, the EX30 is seriously small — about the same size as a Hyundai Kona — giving it a healthy amount of daylight from Volvo's larger, more expensive XC40 Recharge. The upright dimensions will no doubt help with headroom for front and rear passengers, and Volvo says there's 31.9 cubic feet of cargo space, which is good but not great for this class. Step inside the EX30 and the first thing you'll notice is that the SUV's digital real estate is limited to a single central screen, powered by Google software. Absolutely everything looks to be buried in the screen — except for things like the wiper controls, thank goodness — but I'm hopeful that Volvo learned from Tesla's mistakes and keeps the control layout relatively simple. There seems to be a fixed row of climate control icons along the bottom of the vertical display, at least. Five different ambient lighting themes will be offered, which shift in color, "adding a sense of calm," according to Volvo. In typical Scandinavian fashion, the EX30's cabin is super handsome, crafted with sustainable materials that look and feel premium. When it arrives in the U.S., the EX30 will be offered with two powertrain options, both of which rely on a 69-kilowatt-hour cobalt-lithium-manganese-nickel composite battery, 64 kWh of which is usable. The base model, called Single Motor Extended Range, will have a rear-wheel-drive layout and produce 268 horsepower and 253 pound-feet of torque. Volvo expects this version to have a range of 275 miles on the U.S.

Volvo's European EX30 launch plagued by software issues, refunds

Are we ready to include crippling software problems in electric vehicles part of "the new normal?" If so, we'd think little of it. We're most surprised by Volvo being the reason for asking the question. The Swedes had to postpone production of their flagship 2025 EX90 due to software issues. Then, after crowing about starting production, we find out the automaker's informed buyers that their EX90's might not be complete upon delivery, waiting for over-the-air updates to restore functionality that buyers of an $80,000 would expect to come with their vehicle. Overseas, the EX30 appears to be in even more trouble, its software reminding us of the problems Volkswagen had with its ID.3 and Chevy had with its Blazer EV on launch. Autocar reports that the glitches "range from screens going black and steering-wheel buttons not responding to cars not charging and even emergency braking systems randomly activating," as well as "bricked infotainment touchscreens, incorrect information displayed (such as time and range), profiles reverting back to factory settings and driver aids failing." Some customers are reportedly returning their cars to Volvo for full refunds. The automaker told Autocar the EX30 remains on sale, but in the UK, Volvo's pushed online shoppers to the 2025 model; the 2025 EX30 launches July 8, Volvo said. The configurator at Volvo's UK site advisers visitors, "EX30 Model Year 2024 is no longer available for new configurations. However you are welcome to browse our stock cars." At the time of writing, we did not find any similar notice on the Volvo sites for France, Germany, or Sweden. A poster on a UK forum for EX30 owners wrote to another member that ordering's been disabled on the UK site for three months. And it's a popular model. Volvo has more than 35,000 units in Europe through the end of May, making it the third-best-selling selling EV there after the Tesla Model Y and Model 3. Every new car comes with its share of hiccups. Based on checking forums, owners seem thoroughly pleased with the EX30's build quality. The hiccups here and in general with EVs is that their primary issues trace back to software (on top of the usual mechanical issues all vehicles face). On that UK forum for EX30 owners, the Recent Topics tab is peppered with threads about problems with the hatchback, the Faults & Technical section contains 85 individual topics (some of which are undoubtedly duplicates or misplaced).