Volvo EX30

“Small is mighty” is how the Volvo design team sums up what makes the EX30 special. It is a compact electric SUV characterised by the smallest CO₂ footprint of any Volvo vehicle to date. “Our biggest challenge was to create a small car that does not compromise in any way, upholds the core values of the Volvo brand and at the same time pushes boundaries and introduces innovations,” says Katharina Sachs, Exterior Lead Designer at Volvo. The result is a car that is designed to be the most sustainable Volvo to date, which nevertheless fully integrates all brand values such as safety, comfort, and Scandinavian design – a Volvo in a highly condensed form. Its exterior is characterised by a long wheelbase, large wheels and equal overhangs, which ensures balanced proportions. The car’s face with its closed shield and narrow LED headlights projects a self-confident impression and at the same time ensures that the EX30 is clearly recognisable as an electric vehicle. The interior also proves how big small can be. The long wheelbase and centralised interior helps to open the space and convey premium quality and spaciousness, regardless of the actual size. The latter has been achieved by creating four different, carefully coordinated interior design themes, which, for all their diversity, are linked by a sustainable approach to the choice of materials – both recycled and renewable raw materials have been used. With regard to the user experience, the integration of the cutting edge technologies also plays an important role. All information flows together centrally on a single screen, is clearly displayed and can be organised by topic if desired. Overall, the jury concluded that Volvo, as a brand with a long tradition, had succeeded with the EX30 in creating an innovative product for a highly competitive market. “Typical design elements have been convincingly reinterpreted and integrated into the EX30 – both on the exterior and in the interior. This vehicle is clearly recognisable as a Volvo, even without resorting to too many quotes. It is a product as if cast from a single mould with a consistent, very high design quality that convinced us across the board.”