Volvo’s first electric vehicles (EVs) have been SUVs and people movers, but now it has revealed an electric sedan.
Or has it? Volvo says its new ES90 – due here late in 2025 – isn’t simply a sedan, and instead blurs boundaries.
“Some might say it is a sedan. Others will see a fastback, or even hints of an SUV. We’ll let you be the judge,” the company says in its press release.
Volvo says it combines the “refined elegance of a sedan, the adaptability of a fastback, and the spacious interior and higher ground clearance associated with SUVs”, with none of the compromises of those body styles.
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Conceptually, then, it’s reminiscent of the Polestar 2, another product from under the Geely Holding Group umbrella.
Technically it’s not a sedan but rather a liftback, much like the Polestar, and there’s 424L of boot space. This expands to 733L with the rear seats dropped, and these can be folded individually.
There’s also 22L of space under the bonnet.
While it sits higher than the petrol/plug-in hybrid S90 sedan, Volvo says it still has a drag coefficient of 0.25 – not the best in the market, but the best figure of any car the brand has ever built.
Volvo’s ‘Thor’s Hammer’ headlights feature, while down back there C-shaped tail lights plus LED lights in the rear window, much like the EX30.
A choice of four wheel options are available, ranging from 20 to 22 inches in size, while the ES90 can be had in seven different exterior finishes.
It rides on the SPA2 architecture underpinning the EX90 electric SUV, and sits on a 3.1m-long wheelbase.
The ES90 also uses the Volvo Cars Superset tech stack, a single set of hardware and software modules that’ll be used in all the brand’s upcoming electric cars.
It’s Volvo’s first vehicle with an 800-volt electrical architecture, which Volvo says allows for faster charging and better overall performance and efficiency.
Volvo will offer the following variants:
- Single Motor Extended Range: Up to 245kW, 0-100km/h in 6.9 seconds
- Twin Motor: Up to 330kW, 0-100km/h in 5.5 seconds
- Twin Motor Performance: Up to 500kW, 0-100km/h in 4 seconds
Range is up to 700km under the WLTP cycle in dual-motor all-wheel drive models with the 106kWh battery, and up to 650km in the Single Motor Extended Range with its 92kWh battery.
These figures see the ES90 beat the rival BMW i5 and Mercedes-Benz EQE, which top out at 627km and 626km of WLTP range, respectively.
Energy consumption is 16.1kWh/100km in the Single Motor Extended Range model, and 17.1kWh/100km in both Twin Motor versions.
The company says 300km of range can be added in 10 minutes when using a 35kW DC fast charger.
Inside, there’s a 14.5-inch infotainment touchscreen with Google built-in, featuring embedded Google Maps, Google Assistant, and more apps that can be downloaded via the Google Play Store.
There’s a 9.0-inch digital instrument cluster and a head-up display.
There’s a range of sound systems available, with the cream of the crop being a 25-speaker Bowers & Wilkins setup that includes headrest and ceiling speakers plus Dolby Atmos.
There’s a panoramic roof that Volvo says provides UV protection of up to 99.9 per cent. It’s also available in an electrochromic version, were you can adjust the transparency of the glass.
Quad-zone climate control with an advanced air purifier that can stop up to 95 per cent of PM 2.5 particulates also features, plus ambient lighting with six themes for “sensory well-being”, and various upholstery options.
The ES90 has a suite of active safety technology, including driver attention monitoring and safe exit warning. This is powered by one LiDAR, five radars, seven cameras, and twelve ultrasonic sensors.
A rear occupant detection system can sense sub-millimetre scale movement, including the soft breathing of a baby, while the surround-view camera features a 3D view.
The ES90 is Volvo’s sixth electric vehicle, joining the EC40 and EX40 (née C40 and XC40 Recharge) SUVs as well as the newer EX30 and EX90 SUVs and China-only EM90 people mover.
Volvo is busily expanding its range of EVs, which will grow next year to include the EX60. This is an electric counterpart to the XC60, which will debut the new SPA3 platform.
In its 2024 financial results presentation, Volvo also teased an additional two models on the SPA3 platform, plus a long-range plug-in hybrid (PHEV) on an unspecified platform which is being developed for China.
In addition to new EVs, Volvo is also continuing to refresh its existing range of petrol/plug-in hybrid vehicles.
Volvo’s global CEO Jim Rowan says that this year the brand plans to launch five brand new or refreshed products, with another five new or refreshed models due in 2026.
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