Electric Volvo people-mover in the pipeline

A fresh leak has surfaced that reveals Volvo is secretly developing an all-new people-mover it plans to launch later in 2023.

According to CarNewsChina, the still-to-be-named people-mover was inadvertently revealed to media by the president of Volvo China when detailing how the Swedish brand would embrace electrification in the near future.

The slide revealed that in 2023 Volvo will launch six cars: updated versions of the Volvo XC40 and C40 (as reported earlier this week), the Volvo EX90 that was shown late last year, a smaller SUV and the new people-mover.

The smaller Volvo SUV is expected to be the all-electric 2023 Volvo EX30 that’s set to be based on the SEA platform and share much with both the Smart #1 and the upcoming Zeekr 003.

Volvo and Zeekr are both owned by Chinese auto giant Geely, and by the same token, the new Volvo MPV is set to share much with the recently-launched Zeekr 009, including architecture and powertrains.

That means the most powerful Volvo people-mover could come with more than 400kW.

Despite the parts-sharing, the Volvo MPV will feature its own styling and have a unique cabin but could still match the Zeekr’s long range of up to 822km.

As far as timing goes, the Volvo wagon is set to debut as a near-production concept in the third quarter of 2023, followed by a launch in China before the end of the year.

There’s no word on whether Volvo will launch its three-row battery-powered rival for the Toyota Alphard or Mercedes-Benz V-Class in Australia, but an international rollout is anticipated.

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