The Volvo XC90 and EX90 are the brand’s flagship models, but the Swedish brand is interested increase a size to take on the Mercedes-Benz GLS and BMW X7.
During a briefing last week in Stockholm, CEO Håkan Samuelsson said media demand for three-row SUVs continues to grow in the US and China.
In a subsequent chat with Automotive NewsHe went further and explained: “Larger SUVs, that’s something we’re thinking about.” Mr Samuelsson warned that such a vehicle had yet to be given the green light.
Should such a car be approved, it is likely that it will be produced at the company’s South Carolina plant, as the company’s policy is to produce vehicles where there is the greatest demand. Currently, Chinese-built vehicles are subject to high tariffs when shipped to the United States.
The South Carolina plant currently produces the Volvo EX90 and Polestar 3 electric SUVs and is scheduled to begin production of the XC60 in 2027. Last September, the company confirmed that it would add a plug-in hybrid to the factory lineup in the not-too-distant future.
Mr. Samuelsson did not confirm that Volvo’s desired larger three-row SUV will be produced in South Carolina, telling the trade publication that the new car is “perhaps a larger one” and that the plug-in hybrid will be “very attractive to U.S. customers.”
Erik Severinson, Volvo’s chief commercial officer, said Automotive News A larger SUV must not be “too big for another market,” suggesting it will also be suitable for Europe.
That rules out a massive SUV that can take on the likes of the Cadillac Escalade, which will likely pit the new model against the BMW X7 and Mercedes-Benz GLS, both of which are around 5.2m long. The existing XC90 and EX90 are both around the 5.0m mark.
It’s unknown which platform an X7 competitor will use, but there are two top contenders. The first is an updated version of the Scalable Product Architecture that underpins the XC90.
Mr. Severinson suggested another possibility, noting that thanks to its owner Geely, Volvo has “unique access to the Chinese market like no other Western OEM.” He described their ability to “collaborate on components, platforms and production sites” as Volvo’s “superpower.”
Volvo has already used this access to convert the Zeekr 009 into the Volvo EM90 people mover. The closest SUV in the group’s lineup to its X7 rival is the 5.2m Zeekr 9X, which is based on the company’s Scalable Experience Architecture.
Available exclusively as a 2.0-litre plug-in hybrid, the entry-level 9X features two electric motors with a total output of 660kW and a 55kWh battery, good for an estimated 300km of all-electric driving under the generous CLTC standard.
Higher trim levels have three electric motors for a total output of 1030 kW and a larger 70 kWh battery to increase the electric range under CLTC to 380 km.
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