India-bound Volvo C40 Recharge made available for pre-order in Europe

Volvo Cars has officially started taking bookings for its latest fully electric model, the C40 Recharge, in markets across Europe. Pre-bookings in other launch markets will follow in the coming weeks. The SUV is the company's first electric-only model and its latest manifestation of commitment to a zero-emission future.

Volvo announced that after the launch of XC40 Recharge in the Indian market, the C40 Recharge will be the next model in the lineup for the country. The C40 Recharge takes inspiration from the XC40 Recharge and appears to be an SUV coupe version of the same. The company expects the vehicle to play a significant role in the company's all-electric vision.

The C40 Recharge gets a lower and sleeker design. Its rear features a striking rear-end design to go with the lower roof line, while the new front design introduces a new face for electric Volvos and includes headlights with state-of-the-art pixel technology.

On the inside, the C40 Recharge has features such as high seating position that most Volvo drivers prefer, which is available with a range of colour and decor options unique to the model. It is also the first Volvo model to be completely leather-free. The infotainment system inside has been jointly developed with Google and based on the Android operating system. It provides consumers with Google apps and services built-in, such as Google Assistant, Google Maps and Google Play.

The C40 Recharge's propulsion consists of twin electric motors, one on the front and one on the rear axle, powered by a 78kWh battery that can be fast-charged to 80 per cent in about 40 minutes. It claims to have a range of around 420 km, which is expected to improve over time via over-the-air software updates.

The SUV will be manufactured at the same plant - Ghent (Belgium) as the XC40 Recharge and will be underpinned by the same CMA platform.