(Full article in A&D no. 262)<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cSmall is a grand philosophy.\u201d Not only that: “Great things have small beginnings.\u201d In short, insists Jim Rowan, who more than a year ago was appointed President and CEO of Volvo by the Chinese Geely group, \u201csmall can be bigger than it seems.” The leitmotif that accompanies the latest addition to Gothenburg, an electric SUV with exceptional performance, “small but big,” is very clear. The EX30 is small but it will be Volvo’s trump card. The numbers will tell: the fact that it is produced in China, in the Zhangjiakou plant, immediately reveals an ambition for large numbers. \u201cThe EX30 sums up all our building principles, but in a more compact format,\u201d says T. Jon Meyer, head of exterior design. Developed under the guidance of Robin Page (who is now head of Bentley design), i.e. before handing over to Jeremy Offer last May, it was the fruit \u2013 says Mayer \u2013 of \u201ca great passion:\u201d that of the designers who, working partly online and partly in presence, faced the problems of Covid and the inevitable lockdowns. Because the EX30 found itself right in the middle of the crisis. Launched in mid-2019, through half a dozen 1:4 scale models and then a couple of full-size ones, it arrived in mid-2021 at its definitive shape, which was then that of the initial concept, “without mixing \u2013 Mayer is categorical \u2013 with other themes.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
![](\"https:\/\/autodesignmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/2023090502_VolvoEX30.jpg\")
<\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Small is beautiful <\/strong><\/span> Balanced proportions<\/strong><\/span> Recycled materials<\/strong><\/span>
\nTalking about it with those who designed it, apart from the “small is beautiful” mantra, some key words emerge that decode this car. Words like space, centralization, sustainability, recycling. Mayer explains that the EX30’s bold character starts from its reduced CO2 footprint, which is the lowest of any Volvo. But that’s not all: “The proportions of electric cars allow for a longer wheelbase, to the full benefit of the interior spaces.” The EX30, like the Smart #1, is based on the SEA (Sustainable Experience Architecture) platform designed in China for the electric sector. \u201cThe most important thing \u2013 echoes Lisa Reeves, interior design manager \u2013 becomes the functionality of the passenger compartment, which for the customer represents a personalized experience for the use he will make of the spaces.”<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\nIt is Reeves again who speaks of “sustainability with a holistic aspect”, with the result of an expanded Volvo range which at the same time (starting from 36,000 euros) brings the prices of a premium electric SUV to the levels of an equivalent internal combustion car. However, all of this was not easy. \u201cIt’s fine to create a longer wheelbase \u2013 observes Mayer \u2013 but by pushing the wheels to the ends they seem smaller and we therefore had to increase their dimension to balance the proportions, respecting the measurements of the overhangs. And then: how to arrange the passenger compartment without losing aerodynamics, how to achieve balance and elegance.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\nSustainability, in turn explains Daniel Fidgett, head of C&M, \u201cresumes the path started with the C40 on the line of Scandinavian premiums. On the one hand, recycling, for which we have reached a global level of 17%, 30% for interiors alone, and we are thinking of a future of 95%. And then the materials we use for the interiors: recycled polyesters, for example, already at 70%, but also aluminium (25%) and steel (70%). As in the EX90, we have introduced a nautical fabric, soft and elastic, treated with oils from Scandinavian forests.\u201d And there is a lot of Scandinavian in this SUV. Starting with the five vibrant body colours.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>