Volvo EX90 and Polestar 3 delayed

Volvo has pushed back the production start of its flagship 2023 Volvo EX90 electric SUV, claiming it “needs additional time in software development and testing” to ensure the user experience is up to standard “from day one”.

Production of the all-electric Volvo XC90 sister model is now scheduled to start in the first half of next year and, while Volvo Australia isn’t anticipating any significant impacts to the model’s launch Down Under, the same can’t be said for the related Polestar 3, which carsales understands will be delayed by a few months.

“At this stage we’re unsure about the timing implications for Australian Polestar 3 customers, but we’re working to identify a revised timeline with our colleagues in Sweden and will provide an update to our customers as soon as possible,” a Polestar Australia spokesperson said in a statement.

The spokesperson said the Polestar Australia was expecting to have to delay the launch of its all-new large electric SUV by “a few months”, given it was scheduled to arrive in the first quarter of next year, which is now when Polestar 3 production is set to commence.

Volvo Cars Australia, by contrast, will probably be unaffected by the setback because the EX90 isn’t due on Aussie soil until late 2024, possibly even badged and sold here an MY25 model.

A brand spokesperson said it was ultimately too early to say for sure, but didn’t expect there to be much of an impact, if any.

Both the Polestar 3 and Volvo EX90 are underpinned by an all-new, purpose-built EV architecture and will share the bulk of their mechanical components, with the majority of development being done by Volvo.

Both models were expected to launch globally within weeks of each other and so other markets will experience delays for both models under the new production schedule.

The Polestar 3 will still launch here before the EX90, giving Aussies a more upmarket and athletic preview of what’s to come from the more conservative Volvo.

Global and local Polestar executives have stipulated the production setback has no bearing on the manufacturing or launch timelines of the smaller Polestar 4 (because the mid-size electric SUV rides on the Geely-owned car-maker’s established SEA platform), which is due on sale in key export markets by the first quarter of next year.

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