UPDATE 28/01/2025: Volvo has announced the production-spec EX30 Cross Country will be revealed on February 10 via a remote livestream at 11pm AEDT.
The brand released a wintery teaser image to promote the unusual debut which will include a voyage into the frozen landscapes of Swedish Lapland, though the car is nowhere to be seen.
Original, 22/01/2025: The 2025 Volvo EX30 Cross Country will make its official debut later as one of the first offerings to bring genuine off-road capability to the electric premium compact SUV segment.
Locked in for a Q3 launch, it’s thought the production version of the Cross Country will be revealed around Q2 this year, shortly after production begins at Volvo’s Chinese and Belgian factories.
Upgrades will include more ground clearance, some decorative bash plates, off-road spec alloys, a set of all-terrain tyres and ‘Cross Country’ badging, with the concept’s black body panels also expected to make an appearance.
Beneath the skin it’s expected the EX30 Cross Country will only be available with the ‘Twin Motor’ powertrain that gets all-wheel drive – befitting of a dirt-minded SUV.
That should guarantee the mud-loving Volvo some serious paddock-bashing performance with the dual motors developing a combined 313kW/543Nm, enough for 0-100km/h in less than 3.8 seconds.
Odds are the standard car’s 460km WLTP range will shrink as a result of the upgrades, however the same 69kWh battery pack should be carried over untouched.
More-capable road-going SUVs are all the rage at the moment with Subaru, Nissan, Kia, Hyundai and now Volvo getting in on the act in at least a few major markets.
It’s thought the EX30 Cross Country could signal the revival of more rugged takes on other Volvo models that will eventually include models like the flagship EX90 seven-seater.