Volvo EX30 Launched in Malaysia at RM188,888 but They Forgot to Include Buttons

Priced at the same introductory price as the Smart #1 (it’s since been discounted) and coming in at about the same size, the Volvo EX30 is here.

It’s the Swedes’ attempt at an affordable EV and is built on the same Geely platform as the Smart #1 and looks noticeably smaller than the XC40.

The base option is known as the Plus and retails for RM188,888 on-the-road without insurance. It is joined by the Ultra at RM208,888 and the range-topping Ultra Twin Performance priced at RM228,888.

All EX30 models come with the highest specification 69 kWh NMC battery pack that provides up to 476 km of range for the single motor variants or 450 km for the EX30 Ultra Twin Performance.

Based on an early preview the car’s interior is filled with hard plastics (that the previewer claims still looks good) and the interior has gone the way of Tesla, i.e., physical buttons have been removed in place of a vertical screen.

Even the speedometer is stuck to the screen which is placed in the middle of the car, not right where you eye line and the road meet, like, you know, any normal car.

The door panels have no buttons for the window, the lock, nor speakers. Where is the speaker? Well, its been replaced by a soundbar that’s placed on your dashboard.

We’d tell you more about the Volvo EX30, but it’s just another extremely costly fridge on wheels, as Jeremy Clarkson would say.

If we’re being honest, 80% of the reason why we’re even mentioning the car is to lament the death of driver-focused innovation that Volvo used to be known for.

Remember that this is a brand that made a name for itself in safety, introducing booster seats for children in the car, blind spot monitoring, side airbags, and many more.

To see the same brand lock crucial functions of the car behind a tablet is just mind boggling to us.

Nothing beats tactile buttons and to see Volvo compromise on this while presenting it as “innovation”, well, that doesn’t sit well with us.

There’s a reason why more and more functions are being relegated to hidden menus on screen and that’s because buttons cost money.

The more buttons you have, the more electronics you have wired around the car which includes more moving parts and higher cost.

In our minds, Volvo does not belong in this category and to see it sink so low to hit a “low” price point is just… disappointing.

Throw your 3-second century sprint figures and give us back our buttons. Let’s go back to sensible decisions.