Volvo to offer six BEVS by 2026, including two electric sedans

Volvo Cars plan to turn its S60 and S90 sedan models into fully electric cars. The two sedans are part of a plan to launch at least six new electric models by 2026, according to people familiar with the plans.

According to the Reuters news agency, insiders revealed that the six new models include the already unveiled EX90 and the confirmed new entry-level electric EX30, as well as a van based on the Zeekr 009, a brand also part of the Geely Group. The latter is a huge car and primarily aimed at the Asian market but could also be offered in the U.S. For Europe, there seem to be no plans.

Of course, there will be an all-electric successor to the XC60,Volvo’s most successful model globally, for years already. The fully electric successors to the S60 and S90 models would then be the electric newcomers five and six.

What about the break models?

In its portfolio, Volvo still has the V60 and V90 break models, once very popular. Their future remains uncertain for the moment. Will Volvo, like almost all of its competitors, rely heavily on the SUV hype that is still predominating the market? It could be an original offer to have also estate BEVs in your portfolio.

In any case, that’s what Volkswagen, for example, is doing. More so, from the electric successor to the current Passat, there will also only be a break version, as is the case for its ICE brother. No one knows when this unstoppable enthusiasm for SUVs will come to an end, but for many manufacturers, it could be a lifeline to have estates in the offering when this is going to happen.

Which platform?

Until now, Volvo’s S60, XC60, S90, and XC90 models are based on Volvo’s SPA platform (for Scalable Product Architecture). The new EX90, as well as the Polestar 3, are based on an SPA2 platform, which was specially developed for BEV vehicles. It has not been confirmed yet whether the electric S90 will be based on that platform as well, but it sounds logical.

The same question arises for the S60 and XC60. Will they also have a version of the SPA2 platform, or will they have a new platform or another derivative? There’s also the possibility that those cars share a platform with other cars in the ever-growing Geely  family.

Move to Shanghai

According to Reuters, development work on the sedans has been moved to Volvo’s research and development hub in Shanghai. This R&D center moved to a new and larger building recently, and the number of employees in the design team has reportedly tripled to about 60 people.

Volvo has already announced a while ago that it will make its entire lineup fully electric by 2030. The company’s Australia unit has said it plans to sell only EVs in that market by 2026.

Sales for January

Volvo Cars just reported sales of 48 520 cars globally in January, up 2% compared to the same month last year. Sales of Volvo Cars´ Recharge models (fully electric and plug-in hybrids) increased by  31% in January year-on-year, accounting for 40,7% of all Volvo cars sold globally during the month. The share of fully electric cars stood at 16,2%.

European sales for January reached 21 436 cars, up 14,7% compared with the same period last year. The increase was led by markets such as the UK, Italy, and Belgium. Recharge sales (BEVs and plug-in hybrids) accounted for 59,8% of the total sales in the region during the month.

U.S. sales reached 7 693 cars, up 8,2% compared with January last year. The share of Recharge models accounted for 30,8% of the total sales for the month. In China, sales declined by 19,5% to 11 783 cars in January due to the timing of the Chinese New Year. The share of Recharge cars reached 10,7%.

In January, Volvo’s XC60 was once again the top-selling model, with sales reaching 16 016 cars (2022: 14 516), followed by the XC40, with total sales at 14 038 cars (2022: 12 286 units), and the Volvo XC90 at 7 438 cars (2022: 7 243 units).