Volvo revealed that it plans to launch an all-electric minivan in China where it will be one of the company’s range-topping vehicles, alongside the EX90 SUV. No word on when it will be revealed or about any possible plans to sell the model outside China, but we have a pretty good guess as to what recently unveiled vehicle it will be related to.
The Volvo electric MPV could be the Swedish manufacturer’s reinterpretation of the six-seater Zeekr 009 (pictured), which is exactly the same type of vehicle, riding on the same Geely SEA platform the Volvo will be built on. It has a dual-motor all-wheel drive setup with 536 horsepower and a massive 140 kWh battery pack that’s good for a claimed range of 511 miles (822 kilometer).
The news that there will also be a Volvo version came during a media briefing held by Qin Peiji, President of Volvo Cars Greater China Sales Company. According to CarNewsChina, Volvo will reveal its electric people carrier in concept form in the third quarter of 2023 and the production version will be shown and launched before the end of the year.
Gallery: 2023 Zeekr 009
Don’t expect Volvo and Zeekr models to look the same, though. Even though they will have the exact same hard points and probably wheelbase, Volvo will put its own spin on the exterior and interior design.
These two vehicles will both be on sale in China and parent company Geely won’t one cannibalizing sales from the other. We therefore expect the Volvo model to be positioned further upmarket than the 009, which in China currently starts at 499,000 yuan, equivalent to just under $75,000.
There will be a cheaper rear-wheel drive version of the Zeekr 009 made available later on, but Volvo may want to keep its model all-wheel drive-only so as to be able to sell it at a higher price. It will also be interesting to see if Volvo announces any plans to offer this minivan in other markets, even in the US where a Ford Flex-like EV would certainly find buyers, especially if it came with that big a battery pack.
