The Upcoming Volvo EX90 Will Eventually Come in Different Forms UPDATED
Volvo recently announced the EX90, a three-row EV with serious safety tech. Though the automaker only showed off one version of the new vehicle, company executives have hinted that other variants are in the works.
Speaking with Motortrend, Volvo COO Javier Varela said, "it is possible with the platform to take away seats.” A cheaper entry-level model could also use a single-motor powertrain and rear-wheel drive.
The EX90 will be Volvo’s first on its new SPA2 platform, a dedicated electric architecture with roots in the existing SPA platform that underpins the XC90. The three-row EV will also be Volvo’s first ground-up EV, as the XC40 Recharge and C40 Recharge were derived from the gasoline XC40.
Much of Volvo’s pitch for the EX90 focuses on the new safety systems it carries. The SUV comes with LiDAR, eight cameras, five radars, and more. In addition to advanced driver condition monitoring and crash avoidance features, that array enables Volvo’s new Ride Pilot function. It allows hands-free and attention-free driving on the highway, making it a true Level 3 system.
The EX90 is available for reservation now and will begin production late next year for 2024 deliveries. Initial vehicles will be built in China before expanding to Volvo’s South Carolina plant in 2024.
Update: A reader suggested that the EX will actually be built in South Carolina first. We checked with Volvo and this is what a spokesperson said: "The Volvo EX90 will be built at our manufacturing facility in Ridgeville, South Carolina alongside the current Volvo S60."
[Image: Volvo]
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Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.
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They are already selling a swoopier version without a third row as the Polestar 3, which would be called the Volvo EX80 if business had any sense to it.
I drive and love my Volvo S60. I was so ready for this to be so much closer to the Recharge concept. Instead, it is just unattractive with a mish mash of old 90 and a few hints of Recharge. They missed a huggggge opportunity here. Sad
EX90 Twin Performance in Onyx Black on order. Recharge Concept be dammed. What's an S60?