Volvo CEO Jim Rowan has confirmed that its new ‘baby EX90’ will be called the EX30 and is set to launch in 2023. To keep costs low, it will be built in China on Geely’s SEA platform, which is also used for the recently-launched Smart models.

At the launch of the EX90, the new electric flagship from Volvo, journalists received a sneak peek at a new, smaller electric SUV set for 2023. Now, Volvo CEO Jim Rowan has confirmed in an interview with Automotive News that this new baby EX90 will be called EX30, following the nameplate set by the electric XC90 equivalent – not a successor, as Volvo will keep the XC90 in the range for a while longer, with not everyone having access yet to a sufficient charging infrastructure.

Road to 1,2 million

The EX30 will be manufactured in China to keep costs down, as Volvo is aiming for this new compact SUV to become the next best-seller for the brand after the success of the Belgian-built XC40.

Volvo wants to deliver 1,2 million cars annually by 2025, up from almost 700 000 in 2021. According to the brand, the EX30 will be directed at younger customers, who are more invested in sustainability, with the subscription plan Care by Volvo available to make the cars more accessible.

The architecture used to build the EX30 will likely be Geely’s SEA (Sustainable Experience Architecture) platform, which underpins the Smart #1 and future #3 models. It should also be the basis for the Polestar 4, a compact electric SUV coming in 2023. Sounds familiar?

Tesla talent

To help its acceleration into this new phase, Volvo has poached some key talent from Tesla to lead its research and development team. Anders Bell, who worked as a senior director of engineering at Tesla for six years, will join the Swedish manufacturer to realize its ambitions in electrification and computing, connectivity, and autonomous driving systems. It’s a comeback for Bell, as he worked for Volvo for 18 years before joining Tesla.