Volvo Cars speeds up EV transformation next year

Volvo Cars is cruising through a product transformation as it steers toward an all-electric future by the start of the next decade.

The Swedish automaker has told dealers that it expects to launch seven new and redesigned electrified models, including five battery-electric vehicles.

The first two are due next year and will bookend Volvo’s crossover lineup.

Volvo’s newest flagship, the EX90 large crossover, arrives on a new all-electric platform in the second half of next year. Software development issues related to the platform have delayed start of production by five or six months.

But first, Volvo will deliver its smallest, most affordable and fastest accelerating vehicle in the first half of 2024.

The EX30 compact crossover starts at $36,145 including shipping, and its performance variant can zip from 0 to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds. Also in the pipeline are all-electric versions of the XC60 midsize crossover and S90 large sedan.

While Volvo pivots to battery power, it won’t jettison gasoline power yet. The brand’s lineup of mild and plug-in hybrids will stick around to satisfy customers needing more time to commit to EVs.

“Our advantage vis-a-vis our premium competitors is we have a tight lineup — six, seven cars — whereas our competitors have 20 or 30 cars,” Volvo Chief Commercial Officer Björn Annwall told Automotive News in June. That will allow Volvo, during the transition, to broaden the portfolio by continuing to sell existing combustion engine variants alongside new battery-powered variants, he said.

In the U.S., Volvo will trim its sedan and wagon portfolio in the next few years.

The automaker is expected to ditch the V90 Cross Country wagon after production of the current generation ends around mid-decade.

The long-term outlook of the entry-model S60 sedan is also gloomy. Production of a battery-powered replacement begins in China in early 2025 but it is not expected for the U.S. market.

EX90: The seven-seat large premium crossover, built on the all-electric SPA2 platform, will be available in a twin-motor, all-wheel-drive version at launch. Its 111-kilowatt-hour battery delivers 496 hp and an EPA-estimated range of up to 300 miles.

Volvo said the crossover will feature an “invisible shield of safety” that can help reduce accidents that cause serious injuries or death by up to one-fifth. Sensors, including eight cameras, five radars and lidar, are connected to the car’s core computers.

The EX90 interior eschews hardware knobs and buttons for a digital dashboard anchored by two screens. The infotainment system runs on a 15-inch center display powered by Google’s Android Automotive operating system.

The crossover enters production next April and is likely to go on sale in the third quarter, according to AutoForecast Solutions.

XC40 EV: The 2024 Volvo XC40 Recharge features a new drivetrain, extended driving range and faster charging. The electric crossover receives rear-wheel drive, the brand’s first in a quarter century, and a revised all-wheel-drive performance model. The BEV model’s second-generation electric motor driving the rear axles has been developed in-house at Volvo Cars.

Volvo’s XC40 Recharge single-motor standard range variant is powered by a 235-hp permanent magnet electric motor that delivers a modest boost in output over the outgoing 228-hp single-motor, front-wheel-drive variant. A second rwd version offers a larger battery and a more powerful 248-hp permanent magnet e-motor on the rear axle.

The awd variant of the battery- electric vehicle features an in-house developed 245-hp permanent magnet e-motor on the rear axle and a new 157-hp asynchronous electric motor on the front. Battery cooling efficiency improvements help extend the single-motor XC40 Recharge range to an EPA-rated 293 miles. The twin-motor XC40 Recharge’s range extends to 254 miles.

A redesign should come in 2027.

C40 Recharge: Like the bigger XC40 EV, the C40 Recharge features a new drivetrain, extended driving range and faster charging for 2024. The electric crossover receives a rwd and a revised awd performance model.

According to EPA estimates, the single-motor version goes 297 miles on a single charge. The twin motor XC40 Recharge’s range extends to 257 miles.

The C40 will receive a redesign by early 2027.

EX30: The China-made compact crossover arrives in the U.S. in the first half of next year. The EX30 sits atop the Sustainable Experience Architecture platform, which underpins vehicles from other Geely Group brands. The crossover has a wheelbase of 104.3 inches. Its design allows for a smaller, less expensive battery without compromising its driving range. A low hood and air curtains up front and a roof drop in the rear reduce drag and boost energy efficiency.

A 69-kWh battery delivers 275 miles in the single-motor version and 265 miles in a dual-motor performance variant. The EX30 battery can charge to 80 percent from 10 percent in 26.5 minutes.

In 2024, Volvo plans a more rugged EX30 with a Cross Country variant, tricked out with skid plates, black panels on the front bumper and trunk lid and a small, hood-mounted Swedish flag.

XC90: Volvo has confirmed there will not be a third-generation XC90 large crossover with a combustion engine or plug-in hybrid powertrain, though the brand indicates the current generations of each will get updates. Production of the XC90 could end in 2029.

XC60: For the 2024 model year, Volvo’s bestseller drops its fwd variant. Under the hood is a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine and a 48-volt hybrid system pumping 247 hp. Production ends in 2027, according to AutoForecast Solutions.

An all-electric replacement of the midsize crossover arrives in 2026. The EV, which will debut on Volvo’s Global Product Architecture platform, will be built in Torslanda, Sweden, starting in late 2025.

XC40: In 2024, the compact crossover ditches its fwd variant and adds exterior colors. A turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder assisted by a 48-volt hybrid system pumps 247 hp.

Production ends in late 2026, and a next-generation model is not planned, according to Auto- Forecast Solutions.

S90: A battery-powered replacement for the full-size sedan arrives in the U.S. mid-decade. Production of the EV in Chengdu, China, begins late next year.

V90 Cross Country: The raised wagon features a four-cylinder 2.0-liter turbo that pumps out 316 hp.

Another generation of the model is not expected, with production scheduled to end around mid-decade.

S60: Volvo’s U.S.-built, entry-level sedan received a new front grille design and tweaked rear bumper inserts for a 2023 model year refresh.

The 400-hp S60 plug-in hybrid variant goes up to 41 miles in EV-only mode. A battery-powered replacement goes into production in Daqing, China, in early 2025 but is not expected for the U.S. market.

V60 Cross Country: Volvo freshened the raised wagon last year. It is available with a 2.0-liter turbo-four that delivers 250 hp. A plug-in hybrid variant combines a supercharged and turbocharged gasoline engine with an electric motor to produce 415 hp. A crossover-like electric replacement of the V60 Cross Country could arrive in late 2027.