Volvo unveils its future electric vehicle, which is placed in the large minivan segment. Called EM90, it will be the first vehicle of its kind for the brand.
The global automobile market is largely dominated by SUVs. In 2010, these represented only 10% of market share; in 2022, this share was 44%. It’s very simple, all the brands have gotten into it. Among these, Volvo is a brand renowned for vehicles in this category: Volvo XC40, Volvo C40 Recharge Twin or the immense XC90. Surprise, the Swedish brand is introducing its very first minivan, the EM90, a type of vehicle which is no longer really on the rise.
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If Volvo has, in fact, never produced a vehicle of this type, it declares to compare this EM90 to the Volvo Duett of 1953. A parallel which may seem a little far-fetched as the vehicles do not have much in common apart from their space on board. Let’s admit. This new vehicle has in any case not been specifically designed for the European market, but for that of Asia and especially China. A market more receptive to large vehicles Shuttle Buseswhich are once again gaining popularity on the continent.
A great opportunity, which Volvo has seized. Geely, its parent company, is also that of the Zeekr brand. In reality, the EM90 is simply a derivative version of the Zeekr 009. Volvo is therefore not starting from scratch and only a few minor aesthetic modifications are to be noted: revised front and rear and hammer-shaped light signature. of Thor, in order to better match Volvo’s visual identity. We will therefore be talking more about a simple makeover of the Zeekr 009 rather than a new vehicle strictly speaking.
Interior design, comfort and performance
The structure of the dashboard is identical to that of the 009, but Volvo still wanted to make some adjustments. The original 15.4-inch screen is retained, but another 15.6-inch screen is integrated into the ceiling. If we had to sum up the interior in one word, it would be: luxury. Armchairs worthy of the Business Class of an A380, careful materials, sophisticated soundproofing and a 21-speaker audio system from Bower & Wilkins. Almost a Chinese equivalent of the Mercedes EQV, in short.
Under the hood, what do we find there? The behemoth is powered by a 200 kW unit (approximately 272 horsepower), which will not be too much to move the mass of the machine. Even if no official information has filtered out regarding the weight, we can easily count on the fact that the EM90 passes the 2.5 ton mark. Which does not prevent it from doing the 0 to 100 km/m exercise in 8.3 seconds. On the battery side, its capacity is 116 kWh, which should give it a range of 738 km, according to Chinese standards, a little less strict than the WLTP standard. In terms of charging, it is bidirectional and Volvo announces that the vehicle will be able to go from 10 to 80% autonomy in 30 minutes.
The first country to see the EM90 on its roads will be China, but Volvo is apparently studying its potential in other markets. Not sure, however, that Europe is really ready to welcome a vehicle of this type.
Source : Clean Automotive
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