The compact electric Volvo EX30 won't be coming to the U.S. in 2024 after all.
A Volvo Cars USA spokesperson told InsideEVs today that the EX30's debut has been delayed to 2025 while the automaker moves production to Ghent, Belgium, instead of China, as was originally planned.
"Today Volvo Car USA is informing retailers and EX30 preorder customers that due to changes in the global automotive landscape, the U.S. introduction of the EX30 will be delayed while we ramp up production at our plant in Ghent, Belgium, with a 2025 target delivery date to be announced," the spokesperson said.
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Volvo is the first to fall to new tariffs
New 100% tariffs on China-made EVs will keep them out of the U.S. market, for now. But most automakers operating in America realize that they'll have to compete with BYD, Geely and others eventually.
The move is a shocking reversal of Volvo's earlier plans to release a smaller and more affordable car than it's ever deployed across global markets, and an electric one at that. Unveiled last year, the EX30 drew immediate attention for its minimalist design, respectable range and, most importantly, a starting price of around $35,000 in the U.S.
Key to that price tag was where the car was built: in China, at factories owned by Geely Group, the parent company of Volvo. Due to various advancements in technology, heavy subsidies and drastically lower labor costs, many of China's EVs are priced considerably lower than their Western competitors.
Gallery: 2025 Volvo EX30 North American Debut Event
But fears of cheap Chinese EVs flooding into the U.S. market and undercutting local automakers—a situation that is already playing out in Europe—led the Biden Administration to issue new 100% tariffs on electric cars from that country. While those tariffs are largely keeping Chinese automakers like BYD and Li Auto out of the U.S. for now, they will also affect China-built EVs from brands that operate here, including Volvo and Polestar.
That outcome meant that China-built EX30s likely would've come in at a much higher price than initially announced. A big price increase for such a small vehicle would've made the EX30 a tough sell in the U.S.
The Volvo spokesperson hasn't yet returned a request for more information about how the EX30's move to European production could affect its pricing, or what options and trim levels will be offered in the U.S. market. But it is still definitely coming.
"Importantly, we remain committed to bringing EX30 to the US and are working hard to get it into customer hands," the Volvo spokesperson told InsideEVs.
Last year, Volvo announced the EX30 would also be built in Belgium as a way to satisfy anticipated European demand for the car. But even then, Volvo said that wasn't set to begin until 2025; it seems that the U.S. is going to have to wait until then.
As I wrote for InsideEVs earlier this month, Americans who put down a $500 reservation for the EX30 (which, in the interest of full disclosure, included me as well until recently) often faced "radio silence" from their dealers when seeking information about the status of their orders. Many reservation-holders became concerned about the car's pricing after the new tariffs were announced. But Volvo says reservation holders won't be left hanging.
"We’ll offer customers with existing preorders several options to drive a new Volvo until their EX30 arrives," the spokesperson said via email.
The chairman of Volvo's Retail Advisory Board—a group that coordinates with Volvo on the needs of U.S. dealers—told InsideEVs that Volvo indicated it would sell the car here eventually.
When, and perhaps if, the EX30 does arrive, it will compete against a new crop of more affordable electric models, including the reborn Chevrolet Bolt EUV and the new Kia EV3. But it now may not be able to match those cars in price, and whatever head start it could've had is now a victim of the tariffs. It's a good reminder that, in the EV era, local production is more important now than ever before.
"The EX30 remains a cornerstone of Volvo Cars’ ongoing strategic transformation and reflects our ambition to build cars where we sell them as much as possible," the Volvo spokesperson said.
Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com.
