In stark contrast to the ultra-compact new Volvo EX30, the brand has now announced a vehicle at the opposite end of the size spectrum. The new Volvo EM90 is billed as a ‘premium MPV’, ‘a space for living on the move’, not just a straightforward mode of transport. It’s fully electric, with a platform shared with the Zeekr 009 MPV, another Geely sub-brand that is making inroads into Europe.
Notably, this boxy six-seater has not only been launched in China but will, for the time being, only be available for the Chinese market. It’s an indication of just how important chauffeured car culture continues to be in the People's Republic, as well as the greater design diversity this vast market allows, without its relentless emphasis on SUVs.
Volvo EM90 MPV: ‘a car with room for life’
Volvo’s chief executive Jim Rowan describes the EM90 as a premium experience that evokes domesticity and security, calling it a car that’s a ‘place to connect with your loved ones, to truly be yourself. It’s this feeling of home that inspired [the] EM90, a car with room for life.’
The EV platform certainly allows for a cavernous interior, with six full size seats – including individual airline-style seats in the second row – and a plethora of screen-based tech, including a ceiling-mounted screen and door-mounted temperature controls and displays.
The exterior stays true to current Volvo design language, with the familiar light shapes wrapping around the angular corners front and rear. It’s the proportions that mark the most distinct change, for the EM90 is upright and, well, boxy, just like Volvos of old, with a snub-nosed bonnet and tall sides. Other elements are similarly old-fashioned, like the sliding doors that provide access to the rear seats; in the US, this fits perfectly into old school minivan culture, all school runs and soccer practice.
Volvo is pitching the EM90 as a bit more than that, not least because it’s electric. China’s rather more lenient official range test gives a generous figure of up to 738 kilometres (458 miles), but that should still translate to around twice the capability of the EX30. Of course, this is largely because there’s more space for a bigger battery (116 kWh) and although the added weight ensures performance is not the focus, the EM90 can still reach 100 km/h in around 8.3 seconds.
Like all Volvos, the new MPV offers a plethora of driver-assistance systems and bristles with cameras and radars to track the world around it. Air suspension gives a smooth ride quality, especially important when the car is serving as an upmarket limo. Twenty-one speakers are scattered around the large cabin, powered by Volvo’s audio partner Bowers & Wilkins. Rear passengers can transform the interior into a movie theatre, with lighting, sound and drop-down screen adjusted accordingly.
With its Chinese parent company keen to keep Volvo’s Scandinavian roots and ethos alive, the carmaker now sells approximately 25 per cent of its output in the country, driven by an increasingly upscale, design-led image. It’s also why Volvo’s EV focus is so pronounced: between 2016 and 2022, the share of EVs in the Chinese car market grew from 1 per cent to 19 per cent. There are also three Volvo factories in China, along with a design and R&D centre. On top of all that, platform and technology sharing across the Geely family speeds up Volvo’s ability to get new ideas to market.
Will the Volvo EM90 ever make it out west? The electric MPV market has barely got off the ground in Europe and there are few competitors, save for the Lexus LM. However, as customers realise that even electric SUVs offer relatively little extra interior space compared to their equally huge ICE antecedents, the time is ripe for a new generation of spacious, practical vehicles that are multifunctional in everyday use, not rare off-road excursions.
Volvo EM90, VolvoCars.com, VolvoCars.com.cn
