Over the same period, the Volvo brand boasted a remarkable 46% share of the overall EV market in South Africa, thanks to the sales performance of the EX30 as well as sizeable contributions from the likewise battery-powered C40 Recharge and XC40 Recharge.

During the first four months of the year, the EX30 made up 30.8% of the country’s total all-electric vehicle sales (and 67.3% of Volvo’s own electric-car registrations), making it the most popular EV by a considerable margin. According to figures reported to industry representative body, naamsa, the XC40 Recharge – which was SA’s best-selling EV in 2023 – took second place, accounting for 12.8% of registrations in this space.

Greg Maruszewski, Managing Director at Volvo Car South Africa, points out that the EX30 model range accounted for much of the local EV segment’s year-on-year growth during the first four months of the year.

“If we were to remove the EX30 from the equation, sales of fully electric vehicles in South Africa would be decidedly flat. In fact, consider this: the EX30 accounted for virtually one in every three electric cars sold in South Africa during the first four months of 2024, while almost one in every two EVs registered during this time boasted a Volvo badge,” Greg says.

Volvo’s performance in the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) category was similarly impressive, with the XC60 Recharge plug-in hybrid and XC90 Recharge plug-in hybrid making up 21.4% of all sales in this class over the opening four months of the year. In 2023, these models were placed first and second, respectively, in the PHEV space.

Every derivative in Volvo Car SA’s line-up features some form of electrification, ranging from mild hybrids to PHEVs and EVs. This is in line with Volvo’s goal of half its global sales volume comprising fully electric cars by 2025, with the remainder taking the form of hybrids. By 2030, the Swedish luxury firm plans for every new vehicle it sells to be completely electric, demonstrating its steadfast commitment to a zero-emission future.