Volvo EX30 Cross Country – rugged EV SUV with body cladding, raised ride height to be revealed Feb 10

Volvo has revealed that it’s dusting off its adventure-ready Cross Country designation for the first derivative of the EX30, set to be revealed on February 10. This is a rugged version of Gothenburg’s entry-level electric SUV and should provide the car with a modicum of off-road ability.

No details have been revealed just yet, but the company did show a concept during the EX30’s global reveal in 2023. That car sported a matte black finish for the front bumper and tailgate, along with five-spoke black alloy wheels, knobbly off-road tyres, black plastic wheel arch trims and silver trim on the front spoiler, side skirts and rear bumper. A roof rack housing a spare tyre was also fitted.

Beyond the exterior addenda, the Cross Country should also provide a raised ride height and some additional underbody protection to guard the battery. No technical details have been provided, but you can probably expect the same powertrain and battery options as the standard EX30.

These include a rear-wheel-drive version with 276 PS (203 kW) and 343 Nm of torque, along with a dual-motor all-wheel-drive variant with 428 PS (315 kW) and 543 Nm. Battery options are either a 51 kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) pack for a range of 344 km with rear-wheel drive or a 69 kWh nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) unit that delivers 476 km of range on the RWD model and 450 km with AWD.

Besides forming the “XC” suffix for Volvo’s SUVs, the Cross Country moniker was also used for a series of models with an off-road bent, starting with the V70 XC in 1997. Subsequently, the treatment was given to the V40 hatch, V60, V90 and even the S60 sedan.

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