CEO Jim Rowan wrapped up Volvo’s 90/90 Day occasion with a sizzle reel. It was the fruits of a packed, one-day occasion the place we noticed updates to the hybrid-powered XC90 SUV and the celebrated arrival of the EX90 electrical SUV.
Rowan hinted, “For those who look intently sufficient, you may simply see one other sort of 90.”
I did not must look too arduous. The CEO’s presentation ended with a full-screen preview of a brand new mannequin, the silhouetted ES90, balanced at one finish of a see-saw in opposition to the phrases “coming quickly.”
No additional info was given in regards to the ES90, however we will make a couple of educated guesses at what Volvo is teasing.
Most of what we have to know comes from decoding its title. The ES90 is nearly definitely an electrical sedan primarily based on the identical battery electrical platform because the EX90 SUV. And the sedan configuration is all however confirmed by the teaser’s three-box silhouette. If the ES90 retains the SUV’s lengthy 117.5-inch wheelbase intact — pure hypothesis at this level, however a protected guess contemplating the 90-series nomenclature — it will be sized to compete with the likes of BMW’s i5 electrical sedan, the Mercedes-Benz EQE and Audi’s upcoming A6 E-Tron.
As a fan of electrical sedans, I am wanting ahead to this one.
Proportions are harder to gauge from the roofline seen within the advert picture. Plus, there are no hints on the wheels. However I reckon this electrical sedan will most likely function the tall-ish proportions and elevated ground typical of different electrical sedans — an unlucky actuality of battery packaging.
Even so, the ES90 will definitely have a smaller aerodynamic cross part than the EX90 and a decrease curb weight. If we follow the idea that this new mannequin will share its platform, powertrain and, most significantly, 111 kilowatt-hour battery, the sedan ought to have the ability to meet or, extra seemingly, exceed the SUV’s 300- to 310-mile EPA-estimated vary.
Lastly, peering intently on the teaser, we will additionally see a small hump simply above the windshield, much like the EX90’s roof-mounted lidar sensor. That jives with Volvo’s earlier assertions that the laser sensing know-how will likely be a core a part of its security know-how going ahead.
Volvo’s EV naming conference is mildly annoying, however simple sufficient to parse. ES90 = Electrical Sedan, 90-Collection.
In the course of the 90/90 Day occasion, Volvo introduced that the primary examples of the EX90 SUV will attain world clients this month, with US deliveries slated for later this yr. Moreover, updates to the XC90 delicate and plug-in hybrid fashions are slated to observe.
After a couple of stumbles out the gate, these are two massive steps in the direction of the automaker’s objective of a totally electrified lineup by the top of the last decade.
Count on extra particulars and previews of this new ES90 to be teased out within the coming months.
