EX90 starts deliveries globally, new hybrid XC90 launches – ES90 sedan unveiled

Volvo Cars last month told a tale of two flagships: the fully electric Volvo EX90, which has started shipping globally, and a new updated hybrid Volvo XC90. Plus, it slipped in a surprise new model – unveiling the new ES90 sedan, expected to hit Australian shores late next year.

The company also announced something for all existing Volvo drivers whose cars use the Android-based operating system with Google built-in: the brand new infotainment system developed for the EX90 will be made available free of charge to almost 2.5m customers via an over the air update in 2025.

Meanwhile at its Capital Markets Day earlier this month, Volvo confirmed that a mid-sized electric SUV will be the next new fully-electric model to start production, anticipated for 2026.

Suffice to say the company has been busy. There was little further detail on either the ES90 sedan or the mid-sized SUV. But there was plenty on the XC90 and EX90.

Volvo Cars has sold almost a million second generation XC90s since it launched in 2015.

Unveiling the updated hybrid XC90 at the carmaker’s ‘90/90 Day’ event, Volvo Cars Global CEO, Jim Rowan, thinks the model has many more miles in the tank.

“The XC90 is a seven-seat premium SUV with advanced plug-in technology and a long-range drive,” said Rowan. “It takes the legendary formula of the XC90 that has won so many fans all over the world and it moves the game on.”

He suggested the updated version delivers the best of both worlds to drivers.

“Choosing an electric or a hybrid should never be a compromise. A plug-in hybrid like the XC90 has enough electric range to meet everyday needs, but also a petrol engine for those times where you need to go further,” said Rowan. “That is a great choice for many people at this point in time.”

He added that Volvo has crunched the numbers over the last three years of its longer-range plug-in hybrids, “and around half of the miles driven in those cars are already fully electric”.

The plug-in hybrid (PHEV) T8 version of the new XC90 has a battery range of up to 70km – roughly double the daily average driving distance in Australia. Which means the PHEV T8 can effectively act as an electric vehicle on most day-to-day drives.

“So if you make the most of the electric drivetrain in our XC90 and our plug-in cars, you can have a positive impact on both your driving experience, your wallet and also make a good impact on the environment,” said Rowan.

While Volvo will be ready to be a fully electric car company “this decade”, Rowan said it would not be “dogmatic” about 2030 as a hard stop for hybrids, because as it may take “a few more years” for some customers and markets to be ready for fully electric cars.

“We will continue to invest in our hybrids so that wherever you are in your journey to electric driving, you can have a Volvo to suit your needs and your situation,” he added.

Mild hybrid powertrain options for the Volvo XC90 include the B5 and more powerful B6, which via kinetic energy recovery reduce fuel consumption and emissions by up to 15 per cent.

XC90 safety features

The XC90 is “one of the safest cars on the road today”, according to Volvo Cars Global Head of Offer, Susanne Hägglund.

It uses a combination of radar and front camera to keep an eye on the road, looking out for objects and other road users – vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, animals – with active safety systems automatically braking and steering to avoid collisions.

Plus, “where available, thanks to connected safety technology, it can foresee dangerous situations ahead”.

Comfort, infotainment

Hägglund added that the updated XC90 is also more comfortable than ever before, thanks in part to a new adaptive damper system that “monitors the road, the driver and the car 500 times a second”, ensuring the smoothest ride with “peace and quiet as standard.”

Volvo Cars Head of User Experience, Thomas Stovicek, unpacked the all-new infotainment system – which was developed for newest stablemates the Volvo EX90 and Volvo EX30.

The central screen is now bigger (11.2 inches) and crisper thanks to higher resolution.

The updated interface gives quicker access to key areas and common functions, meaning “fewer taps to get to the places you use most often”, said Stovicek. Plus, PHEV drivers can now switch modes – petrol, battery, or a combination, in a single tap.

The entire system gets better over time, he added, thanks to over the air software updates based on continuous feedback loops. And from next year, the new system will be offered to circa 2.5m existing Volvo Cars drivers with Android-based operating systems (in most markets, those vehicles with Google built-in) at no additional cost.

Which means everyone gets a better experience, said Stovicek, and one that stays better for longer.

“So whether you are driving an EX90, an XC90 or a three-year-old XC40, we aim to make it easier for you to do what is most important – to focus on the road ahead.”

EX90: Like nothing else

Just as the XC90 redefined the large SUV segment more than 20 years ago, “I'm convinced that the EX90 will redefine premium electric SUVs in the same way,” Volvo Cars Chief Commercial Officer & Deputy CEO, Björn Annwall told investors at September’s Capital Markets day.

“It's the first of a new type of Volvo. Not just electric, so much more. It's designed to be the safest ever Volvo through passive and active safety systems. It’s using state-of-the-art sensors connected to the car's core computing that understand you and your surroundings better than ever before. And yes, thanks to the core computing, it can improve over time,” said Annwall.

“The EX90 also reflects our focus on sustainability, not only through zero tailpipe emissions, but also through the use of recycled and progressive materials. It is a highly comfortable, true seven-seater SUV in fantastic Scandinavian design, unlike anything else on the market today.”

At the 90/90 Day showcase, Hande Egiturk – Product Lead for EX90, gave a 90-second overview of key features:

● Up to 170km of electric range within 10 minutes of fast charging.
● Up to 600km tailpipe emission free motoring on a full charge.
● Safe space technology featuring an advanced external sensor set to better understand the external environment. Likewise inside, with driver and occupant understanding.
● A true seven-seater with a trunk.
● Elegant materials from natural, recycled and responsible sources.
● Sunlight LEDs internally which enhance eye comfort for all passengers.
● A car that gets better with over the air updates.
● A contextual user interface that smartly hides complexity.
● The quietest cabin to date.
● But also a cabin that can be rather less quiet, thanks to a Bowers and Wilkins high fidelity sound system with 25 speakers and 1610 watts of power.
● Plus, in “an automotive industry world first”, an Abbey Road Studios mode, which makes it possible to “shape” the sound experience – from unique vintage tonality to modern sounds.

As Egiturk put it: “Whether it’s the audio or the interior, the design or the drivetrain, the all new EX90 is ready for the road.”

Or as CEO Jim Rowan put it: “I can confidently say that the EX90 is the best car we have ever made.”

Customers can register their interest in the updated XC90 here. Australian deliveries of the EX90 will commence in 2025. The ES90 is expected locally in late 2025 – register for updates here.

See all of Volvo Car Australia’s models here.