Volvo Car South Africa is elated to announce its remarkable leadership in the South African electric vehicle (EV) market's premium C-SUV segment during the first half of 2023, significantly outperforming all competitors in this niche.
As per data released by the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA), local EV sales in the first half of 2023 witnessed an astonishing 145% year-on-year growth, reaching a total of 502 units. To put this achievement into perspective, these figures match the total EV sales for the entire year of 2022 in the South African market.
The Swedish luxury automaker took the front seat in this year-on-year surge during H1 2023, with both the XC40 Recharge and the newly introduced C40 Recharge leading the charge in the premium C-SUV EV category, securing an impressive total of 99 registrations between them. The XC40 Recharge, available in both Single Motor Plus and Twin Motor Ultimate variants, dominated the scene with 89 of those sales.
Volvo's segment-leading performance comfortably surpassed its nearest premium C-SUV EV rival, which managed only 31 registrations spread across two models during the first half of the year. In terms of individual model sales, the closest competitor in the category ended H1 2023 with a modest 22 sales.
Greg Maruszewski, Managing Director at Volvo Car South Africa, expressed his delight, saying, "The South African public's response to our fully electric models has been overwhelming. In fact, thanks to the XC40 Recharge and C40 Recharge dominating the premium C-SUV EV segment, Volvo sold the second-highest number of electric cars of any brand across the industry over the first six months of the year, despite the fact two of our main competitors each offer as many as six fully electric nameplates."
Volvo's success in the South African EV market is poised for further expansion in the upcoming months, with pre-orders for the all-new fully electric EX30 opening in June 2023. This brand-new electric SUV is set to become a cornerstone of Volvo's global electrification growth ambitions and is scheduled to make its debut in 2024 as one of the most competitively priced full-size contenders in South Africa's flourishing EV market.
The EX30 represents a significant stride towards Volvo's objective of having half of its global sales volume comprised of fully electric cars by 2025, with the remainder being hybrids. Demonstrating unwavering commitment to a zero-emission future, the Swedish luxury automaker plans to make every new vehicle it sells completely electric by 2030.
