2022 Volvo C40 Recharge First Look: One Swede SUV Coupe

 Volvo's electric XC40 Recharge gains a low-slung sibling.

Here it is—the first electric-only Volvo model. Remember, the fancy-schmancy Polestar 2 isn't technically a Volvo, despite the close association between the Swedish automaker and the former tuner-shop-turned-brand. The new 2022 Volvo C40 Recharge is the first Volvo model to offer only an electric powertrain with no gas or hybrid variants in the pipeline and it sets the stage for Volvo's EV-only future alongside the brand's other battery-electric Recharge offerings.

Conceptually, it's fairly simple to wrap your head around what the new C40 is, though modern Volvo nomenclature is no help. We're familiar with Volvo's "S" and "V" prefixes—traditional sedan and wagon, respectively—alongside SUVs carrying "XC" badging. Go a bit farther back in time, and the "C" was used in the 1990s through the early 2010s as a coupe and convertible variants of the equivalent S70 and S40 sedans, along with the handsome little S40-based C30 hatch.

So, think of the new C40 as a coupe variant of the existing XC40 Recharge, only this is one of those fastback SUVs, such as the Porsche Cayenne Coupe or Mercedes GLE Coupe, that retains all four doors and simply uses "coupe" as a call-sign for its slightly more dramatic profile. This is the XC40 Recharge, only a little swoopier and a bit more aspirational.

Underneath, the C40 Recharge rides on the same CMA platform as the XC40 and the aforementioned Polestar 2. It scoots around with the XC40 Recharge's electric powertrain, too. A 78-kWh battery juices a set of front and rear motors to the tune of 408 hp and a thick 486 lb-ft of torque, enough grunt for a 0-60 mph hustle of 4.7 seconds. Like the XC40 Recharge, the EPA-estimated range is a usable 210 miles and it can charge from dead to 80-percent in 40 minutes on a 150-kW charger (in an ideal environment). Speaking of environments, this is also the first leather-free Volvo. Happy moo-ing will ensue all over Ghent, Belgium where the C40 Recharge will be built alongside the XC40.

Pricing for this sharp little Swedish number isn't available as of this writing, but expect it to be a modest step up from the XC40 Recharge, which starts around $55,000 before incentives. Our bet is the C40 Recharge hangs a price tag from the rear mirror closer to the $60,000 mark before incentives. You need not line up outside your local dealer to grab your own, either; in another first for Volvo, the C40 Recharge is available exclusively online. Production begins later this fall, so you've got plenty of time to warm up that clicking finger.