Volvo, which has built its reputation thanks to reputedly indestructible station wagons, has been able to ride the wave of SUVs with very popular models such as the XC40, XC60 and XC90. But if there is a segment on which we did not expect the Swedish brand, it is that of minivans and vans.
And yet, here is Volvo announcing its “very first 100% electric premium MPV”. The Anglo-Saxon qualification MPV (multi purpose vehicle) includes the monospace and minivan segments. The brand has unveiled a first image of this future model, called EM90, which suggests lines similar to those of the Zeekr 009 electric minivan. No wonder, the Zeekr brand being part of the same Chinese group – in this case Geely – than Volvo.
A simple rebadged Zeekr 009?
This new Volvo EM90 would therefore take up the base of the Zeekr 009, based on the SEA platform dedicated to the group’s electric cars and equipped for the first time with the new batteries. cell-to-pack Qilin from CATL. It is equipped with a choice of a 116 kWh battery, which gives it a range of 700 km, or a 140 kWh pack, for a range that climbs to 822 km. These values are, however, communicated according to the old NEDC measurement cycle, reputed to be very optimistic, and would therefore be lower with the WLTP protocol now used in Europe, which is closer to real driving conditions.
The Zeekr 009 minivan is also very powerful. Two versions are offered: a rear-wheel drive configuration, equipped with a 200 kW (272 hp) rear engine, and a four-wheel drive variant, which benefits from a second engine on its front axle and whose maximum power reaches 398, 2 kW (541 hp). The latter makes it possible to reach 100 km/h in just 4.5 s.
The Zeekr 009 can carry up to six passengers, with three rows of seats, but its layout is not as flexible as that of Mercedes’ electric van, the EQV, for example. A screen integrated into the ceiling is dedicated to passengers in the second row.
We can expect the Volvo EM90 to take over the visual identity of the Swedish brand, but the extent of interior and exterior modifications compared to the Zeekr 009 remains to be discovered.
Volvo will launch the EM90 on November 12, 2023 in China. “To date, the commercial launch of the Volvo EM90 is not planned in France”specifies the manufacturer.