Volvo C30 EV Not Coming to U.S.

By Eric Loveday

Eric Loveday

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Eric Loveday is a car enthusiast with a love for everything automotive. He purchased a 1970 Chevelle at age 16, quickly outgrew its dated engineering... More

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1,763 views Feb 25, 2010

C30 BEV

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After all of the talk, and hype, and auto show appearances, Volvo has decided to pull the plug on the electric C30, at least here in the states.  It's yet another case of a potentially great car that we won't see on this side of the pond.  Volvo has officially announced that the electric C30 will not come to the U.S. market, but why?  Why do these stand out autos still end up as European market only offerings?

According to Volvo the li-ion powered C30 will only be sold in within European Union nations.  EU regulations that are currently in the works will require manufacturers to cut CO2 emissions by 25% within 2 years and the standards will only continue to get more stringent after that.  Volvo intends to meet these guidelines by introducing plug-in hybrids and EVs in EU markets.  They will begin by introducing 50 C30 electrics in Sweden over the next 2 years followed by an additional 1,000 per year after that.

The company as also stated that they have no intentions of introducing any gasoline hybrid vehicles.  They believe that typical gasoline hybrids are subject to additional weight over their gasoline only counterparts and do not significantly reduce CO2 emissions.  Though diesel hybrids remain a feasible option.

Once again, U.S. buyers can only dream about what it would be like to own and drive a vehicle that will be available in Europe soon.  We can enviously read reviews of this vehicle and hope that Volvo will, at some later point, change their minds.

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