Electric Volvo XC40 and C40 Recharge going REAR-Wheel Drive with bigger battery too – Polestar 2 to follow?

Reports from Europe say Volvo is changing the electric XC40 and C40 Recharge to rear-wheel drive, and installing a bigger battery.

Petrolheads always think of rear-wheel drive cars as the proper solution to getting power on the road, although four-wheel drive performance cars are now commonplace as cars become ever more powerful.

But more prosaic cars have been front-wheel drive for a long time, allowing ‘safer’ handling and better cabin space without the need for propshafts.

But electric cars are turning that around as the engineering to make a car front or rear-wheel drive is more a matter of motor position – albeit with suspension and geometry changes – and it looks like Volvo is about to change their only electric, and smallest, cars, the XC40 and C40, to rear-wheel drive models.

Reports from Europe say Volvo is already listing the new models in the Netherlands and no doubt the rest of Europe will catch up soon.

The new rear-wheel drive cars come with a Volvo-developed single electric motor at the back good for around 250bhp and are available with a bigger 82kWh battery, with the new setup improving range and performance, and charging rates upped to 200kW.

It looks like prices will move up by around 10 per cent for the new rear-wheel drive models with the bigger battery, and although there’s no news on changes to the four-wheel drive models we’ll update this story when we get more information.

Expect the Polestar 2 to go the same route.