Volvo Car is recalling all of the almost 72 000 units it’s made of its new flagship model — the fully electric EX30 — due to a software issue.
The car maker’s shares slumped as much as 3.5% in early trading in Stockholm on news the vehicles may have an error in their centre screen that causes the speedometer to go into test mode when the car starts. To fix the glitch, an over-the-air software update is required, Volvo said in a statement Monday.
The problem, first reported by Swedish website Carup, comes at an inopportune time for Volvo, which has been struggling with software for its increasingly computerised vehicles. Last year, it had to delay the launch of its EX90 model because the software wasn’t up to scratch.
No other Volvo models are affected by the latest recall and there have been no related accidents or injuries reported, a spokesman said.
Volvo began deliveries of the smaller EX30 in January and in April, it was the second most popular battery-electric vehicle in Europe. Some 35 000 EX30s have been sold but a recall notice has been issued for all the 71 956 EX30 cars produced.
A spokeswoman for Volvo in South Africa told TechCentral that the majority of the affected cars in South Africa were already updated. “Volvo Car South Africa is contacting the owners of all affected cars directly to advise them of the upcoming over-the-air software update that will remedy this issue or to visit a dealership for the update. No other Volvo models are affected,” she said.
Volvo also denied claims in a media report over the weekend that a planned shift of manufacturing of the EX30 and EX90 to Belgium from China was an attempt to escape potential tariffs expected to be imposed by the EU on China-made EVs. — Rafaela Lindeberg, (c) 2024 Bloomberg LP, with additional reporting (c) 2024 NewsCentral Media
