Volvo showed an electric version of its C30 hatchback at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show, but that debut was apparently not an indication of future availability. While a version of the show car will eventually make production, Volvo has announced it will not be available in the United Sates market.
Speaking at an event last month, Lennart Stegland, president of Volvo’s Special Vehicles unit, revealed the production version of the C30 battery electric vehicle will only be available in Europe. Volvo says the “business case is not obvious†for a pure electric vehicle for the U.S. market and will keep test fleets close to its home base in Sweden, according to Automotive News.
Over the next two years, Volvo plans to build about 50 examples of the C30 BEV, all earmarked for fleet testing in Sweden. Volvo will use the initial testing to see how the car’s electric drivetrain stands up to Sweden’s cold climate. Following the two year test period, Volvo plans to ramp up production to about 1,000 vehicles per year, with sales limited to Europe.
Although the U.S. won’t have access the C30 BEV, a plug-in hybrid model from the Swedish automaker could hit our shores as early as 2012. Volvo has decided to skip over conventional hybrids and jump straight to plug-in hybrid vehicles as they provide a greater reduction in overall CO2 emission without a significant amount of extra technology development.
