Battery-electric Volvo EX60 and S90 confirmed

Volvo has bold plans to become an EV-only auto brand by 2030 and to delete all of its combustion-powered models even earlier in Australia (by 2026), and the first two examples of its new-generation dedicated EVs will be the small EX30 and large EX90 electric SUVs.

But now it seems we can add at least three more all-new, all-electric models to the list, including another EX-badged SUV – the Volvo EX60 to join the popular XC60 mid-size SUV, according to the company’s chief operating officer Bjorn Annwall.

The XC60 was the European brand’s best-selling model in 2022 with just under 200,000 examples finding homes globally, so the battery-powered EX60 – which could look something like this render from AutoYa – will be a crucial new model for the premium Scandinavian car-maker.

As with the EX90 and XC90, however, Annwall indicated that subsequent new Volvo EV will co-exist in showrooms alongside existing combustion models (or facelifted versions of them, although that’s not guaranteed in Australia) for the time being, to help ensure a smooth changeover to the Chinese-Swedish brand’s all-electric product portfolio.

“We can have the XC60 in parallel with the EX60,” Annwall told carsales at the brand’s HQ in Sweden last week.

“We can have the S90 in parallel with a kind of full-electric 90,” he added, apparently confirming a battery-powered equivalent to the now-discontinued large Volvo sedan is also under development.

“So that actually expands our product portfolio in this transition time where… not everyone can go full-electric because you don't have enough electricity, fast charging and what have you,” he stated.

“That’s the hedge we're using in this period between now and 2027 or something, so it gives us a bit of flexibility to play them slightly different in different countries.”

Volvo’s global COO wouldn’t be drawn on when the two new electric models will be released, but he did let slip the progressive car-maker is considering a vehicle bigger than the Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series-sized Volvo EX90, which itself measures 5037mm long and offers seating for seven.

“We could talk about even bigger cars. Little decision has been made but of course there could be a reason for an even bigger car,” revealed Annwall.

That’s almost certainly a reference to the big electric people-mover confirmed by Volvo’s Chinese CEO two weeks ago, when he presented a slide showing it would be among six new models to be launched in China in 2023.

The six models include upgraded versions of the small XC40 and C40, the EX90 and EX90 ‘Excellence’, a compact SUV likely to be the upcoming EX30 and the ‘MPV’.

Volvo’s all-new large people-mover is expected to leverage the hardware of the big Zeekr 009 launched by fellow Geely Group brand Zeekr in China last November.

That means the Volvo people-mover, which could become a global model, could come with more than 400kW of power and a driving range of up to 822km.

But with six new models apparently coming – at least to China – by the end of this year, we understand the EX60 won’t hit global markets until around 2025.

However, Volvo’s global chief Jim Rowan recently told carsales the future of the brand’s traditional sedan and wagon body styles was under review and Annwall cautioned that Volvo wouldn’t expand its electric model range in every direction to match the likes of Audi, BMW or Mercedes-Benz, which are planning dozens of different EVs.

“So once that transition [to EV] is over and we’re back to just electric cars as of 2030, will then the core range be much different than it used to be? I don't think we're going to be the brand that topped out – we’re still going to have a fairly concentrated range,” he said.

“I’m not sure you're going to have a wagon, a sedan and an SUV and a cab or coupe version for every size. I don't think that makes sense,” he said.

But Annwall did previously concede the brand needs a vehicle with “a bit of spice” and he wouldn’t rule out a return to the sports car segment later this decade, with the EX30 at the other end of its line-up soon becoming Volvo’s smallest model in years.

“Clearly we have grown down with this car [EX30] release [and] soon we’ll reveal the fully electric fantastic small SUV that I’m pretty sure will be very, very successful,” he said.

“But bottom line is we’re still staying on this quite concentrated product portfolio strategy.”

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