Volvo's first van offers lineup-best range, link to landmark model

Volvo's first luxury van will have the best range of any model in its fast-growing electric vehicle lineup as well as draw a direct line to one of the most important cars in its 96-year history.

The boxy-looking Scandinavian living room on wheels will be aimed at China and Southeast Asia, where upscale vans are gaining in popularity.

Volvo has no current plans to sell the EM90 in Europe and the U.S. because minivans have not been strong sellers in either market for years.

In Europe, however, premium brands are regaining interest in the segment. Lexus said in April that it would add the LM minivan to its lineup for the first time. The LM will take on the Mercedes-Benz V-Class in the premium van niche.

Best-in-portfolio range

The EM90, which debuted in Shanghai Sunday, will have a range of 738 km (about 459 miles), according to the country's CLTC driving cycle tests.

Although CLTC figures are estimated to be about 10 percent higher than the WLPT test used in Europe, according to independent analysis, that would still give the EM90 a range of about 664 km. That tops the estimated figure of 600 km from Volvo's flagship electric SUV, the EX90.

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The EM90's long range comes from its CATL-sourced 116-kilowatt-hour battery, which can be recharged from 10 to 80 percent in 28 minutes. The EX90 has a 111-kWh battery from CATL.

The EM90's 200-kilowatt (268 hp) electric motor helps propel the van from 0 to 100 kph (62 mph) in 8.3 seconds. It can go 0 to 60 mph in 7.9 seconds.

Growing lineup

The EM90 is the third full-electric model Volvo has launched in last 12 months. The EX90 led off the EV offensive last November, followed by the smallest model in Volvo's lineup, the EX30 small SUV, in June.

Volvo has said that it will launch a new full-electric car each year until 2025, so the EM90 is a departure for that cadence of launches. Volvo plans to return to its one-model-per-year cadence in 2024.

Volvo wants full-electric models to account for half of its planned 1.2 million sales by 2025. By 2030, Volvo aims to be an electric-only brand.

Two cars in one

The EM90, which Volvo is calling an MPV, short for multipurpose vehicle, is a new twist for the Swedish brand, but it says the vehicle's core characteristic match those of the Duett, which debuted 70 years ago.

The Volvo Duett from 1953 was developed specifically as a versatile and spacious car, many years before the MPV segment was even formally created, Volvo said in a release.

Volvo says the Duett inspired Volvo's range of station wagons, which were the signature models in the brand's lineup before being surpassed by SUV, which not account for the majority of the automaker's sales.

When the Duett debuted Volvo highlighted it as being the answer to people who wanted a practical company car for their businesses or a spacious family car that could also double as a space to sleep in during camping trips. Hence the name, Duett, with the idea that it would be “two cars" in one.

Noise cancellation

Volvo has carried over that idea to the EM90, saying that the car can be used for family trips as well as serve as an office on wheels. To make the interior as quiet as possible the EM90 will offer high-end sound isolation, road noise cancellation technology, dual-chamber air suspension and silent tires.

Volvo said that the road noise cancellation solution would be added via an over‐the‐air update.

While the driver has a 15.4-inch infotainment screen, passengers in the back can use a high-definition, 15.6-inch, roof-mounted screen, which folds down for viewing. It can also be used to have a video business meeting.

"With the flick of a switch or a command to the voice assistant, you can easily turn the interior of the EM90 into a theater, a meeting room, or a bedroom for the rear seats," Volvo said in the release.

Like the EX90, the EM90 is equipped with the hardware to enable bi-directional charging. This feature allows customers to use the van's battery as a power bank to charge other electric cars or appliances.

Slow sales in China

Volvo said that while the premium MPV segment in China is relatively small today, it is an important one. First-half MPV sales were up a market-leading 26 percent to 484,000, according to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

Volvo, which is owned by China's Geely Holding, is seeking a boost in the world's largest vehicle market.

China sales were flat at 15,041 in October, compared with increases of 19 percent in the U.S. and 13 percent in Europe in the same period. Volvo's China sales were up 5 percent through 10 months, compared with gains of 27 percent in the U.S. and a rise of 24 percent in Europe during that period.

The EM90 will be made at a plant owned by Volvo's parent, Geely, in Hangzhou Bay, China.

The EM90 will be produced alogside the Zeekr 009 upscale van and 001 premium midsize shooting brake as well as the Polestar 4 premium midsize SUV. All of the vehicles are underpinned by Geely's Sustainable Experience Architecture, or SEA.

The Zeekr 009 three-row minivan debuted in China in January. Zeekr initially said it does not plan to offer the 009 in Europe but is now weighing whether to add it to its lineup.