Volvo EX90 Electric XC90 replacement due in 2023
New large SUV will arrive alongside a heavily updated version of today’s ICE XC90
Volvo EX90 EV due next year
Volvo’s range-topping new EV, based on the hugely popular XC90 SUV, will be called the EX90, the Swedish brand has said ahead of its 2023 launch.
The electric SUV will be Volvo’s new flagship, the first car to sit atop its new SPA2 platform and kitted out with safety technology never before seen on a production vehicle. It will be sold beside a heavily refreshed version of today’s combustion-engined XC90.
The skateboard-style platform will offer new levels of space, likened to a ‘Scandinavian living room feeling’
The EX90 will play a key role in Volvo’s plans to sell 600,000 EVs around the world annually from 2025, as it pushes towards becoming a fully electric carmaker by 2030.
Due as a production-ready version of the bold Concept Recharge shown in 2021, the EX90 will provide Volvo with a long-awaited entry into the increasingly important full-sized electric SUV segment, in which most premium-oriented manufacturers have launched their first EVs in recent years. Some of the concept’s more outlandish and futuristic cues will be toned down for EX90 production – the four freestanding seats, for example. However, the skateboard-style architecture will offer new levels of interior space, which concept designer Robin Page likened to a “Scandinavian living room feeling”. To that end, the production EX90 will abandon physical controls for a cleaner and simpler driver environment. Most of the function swill be controlled through a large central touchscreen, as first seen in the XC40 Recharge. Recent patent filings suggest the EX90 will look more like the current XC90 than was suggested by the concept, which had a straighter-edged two-box silhouette reminiscent of old Volvo estates, such as the V70.
An evolution of the current XC90’s architecture, the SPA2 can accommodate a choice of ICE and electric powertrains. The EX90 and new XC90 will be the first production cars to use the underpinnings before they are introduced to other Volvo models and those from other Geely-owned brands.
Powertrain options for the next XC90 remain under wraps, but Volvo’s well-publicised push to reduce emissions means all ICE variants will feature some Form of electrification. Diesel will not be offered at all.
The XC90 could also usher in entirely new powertrain set-ups distinct from those offered in the CMA-based XC40 Recharge and C40 Recharge EVs, while four-wheel drive is highly likely to be standard, given the large SUV billing. Volvo will offer a choice of battery sizes on its new EVs, giving buyers the option of standard-range and long-range versions, the latter capable of travelling up to 310miles between charges. The EX90 is expected to eclipse the £76,525 price of the current range-topping XC90, the Recharge PHEV. Full details, including costs and release dates, will be revealed on 9 November.
XC90 is in line for new look, updated platform and new powertrains