Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Automotive News
  • Automobilwoche
  • Automotive News Canada
  • Automotive News China
Subscribe
  • Subscribe
  • Newsletters
  • Login
  • HOME
    • Latest news
    • Automakers
    • Suppliers
    • New Product
    • Environment/Emissions
    • Sales By Market
    • On The Move
    • Auto Shows
    • Munich Auto Show
    • Geneva Auto Show
    • Paris Auto Show
    • Beijing Auto Show
    • Shanghai Auto Show
  • Features
    • Long Read
    • Interview of the Month
    • Focus on Electrification
    • Focus on Technology
    • Segment Analysis
    • Cars & Concepts
    • Supplier Spotlight
    • Europe By The Numbers
  • Opinion
    • Blogs
    • Commentary
    • Guest columnists
  • Photos
    • Photo Galleries
    • Geneva Photo Gallery
    • Beijing Photo Gallery
    • Frankfurt Photo Gallery
    • Paris Photo Gallery
    • Shanghai Photo Gallery
  • Europe By The Numbers
  • Car Cutaways
  • Resource Center
  • EVENTS
    • ANE Congress
    • ANE Rising Stars
    • ANE Eurostars
  • More
    • Publishing Partners
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
    • Media Kit
    • About Us
    • Capgemini: All or nothing: Why circular business models require a holistic approach
    • Capgemini: Invent Head on automotive takeaways from CES 2023
    • Capgemini: Securing the industry's future through a radical rethink
    • Capgemini: Succeeding with the automated driving journey through AI
    • Capgemini: The circular economy is spurring new thinking on EV batteries
    • Capgemini: Toyota and Capgemini leaders on how OEMs can handle industry changes and succeed
    • HEXAGON: Plugging into data is the only way to make winning EVs
    • PUBLICIS SAPIENT: The power of post-purchase: How automakers can maximize customer lifetime value
    • TOYOTA EUROPE: Toyota Motor Europe's next-gen C-HR: sensory innovations revealed by Vehicle UX leader
    • TUV Rheinland: Ideas, services and certifications for smart mobility
    • TUV Rheinland: Testing of automated and autonomous vehicles on test tracks
    • Toyota Europe
    • UFI Filters
    • SENSEAUTO: Driving the future of mobility with SenseAuto: The AGI power behind the wheel
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Cars & Concepts
February 25, 2022 11:14 AM

Volvo tells U.S. dealers that EVs will double throughput

Executives laid out plans to introduce seven new and redesigned electrified models over the next few years, including five battery-electric vehicles and two plug-in hybrids.

Urvaksh Karkaria
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print
    volvo-MAIN_i.jpg

    The Volvo Concept Recharge

    Volvo Cars unveiled an ambitious product road map at its annual dealer meeting on Wednesday as the Swedish automaker accelerates toward an all-electric future.

    At the conference in Miami, attended by about 800 Volvo retailers from across the Americas, company executives laid out plans to introduce seven new and redesigned electrified models over the next few years, including five battery-electric vehicles and two plug-in hybrids.

    According to people who attended the meeting who asked not to be identified, Volvo told dealers that the new metal, which will begin to arrive as early as next year, should help retailers double their store throughput to about 800 vehicles a year by 2025, dealers told Automotive News.

    The five new BEVs include large and small crossovers, a sedan and two sporty wagon-like models that Volvo executives referred to as "activity vehicles," according to the people who attended the meeting.

    Volvo also showed redesigned versions of its S90 and XC90 plug-in hybrids.

    "Volvo is one of the most exciting manufacturers," said a dealer. It is "nailing" the product mix with a focus on crossovers, electrification and technology, the source said.

    A Volvo spokesman did not confirm the information provided to Automotive News and declined to discuss future product.

    New design

    The future EVs sport a modern interpretation of Volvo's signature Thor's Hammer lighting design. The battery pack in the next-generation EVs will sit under the flat floor, letting designers extend the wheelbase and create more interior space. The design allows the crossovers' hood and roofline to be lowered for enhanced aerodynamics without compromising visibility for occupants.

    The first of the next-gen EVs is a full-size crossover that offers a third row and borrows styling cues from the Concept Recharge prototype. Volvo expects to sell about 20,000 of the crossover next year, dealers were told.

    News of Volvo's product offensive has begun to leak in recent weeks. One of the new vehicles, an electric crossover, internally code-named V546, is expected in 2025, Automotive News first reported in early February. That model will slot between the midsize XC60 and large XC90 crossover in size. Global production expectations for the vehicle are said to be approximately 100,000 vehicles annually, with production in the U.S. and China.

    Also in the pipeline are an all-electric version of the XC60 midsize crossover and a new EV positioned below the compact XC40. That model will use the Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) that the Swedish automaker helped parent Zhejiang Geely Holding develop.

    The SEA underpinnings will be used by other Geely-controlled brands including Polestar, Lotus, and London taxi maker LEVC.

    Production expansion

    The fleet of new EVs will trigger a ramp-up at Volvo's U.S. plant in South Carolina, which currently builds the S60 sedan but operates at a fraction of its 150,000-vehicle annual capacity.

    Volvo now has an "ambitious hiring plan" for the plant, located north of Charleston, a dealer said. "They told us they are going to be really aggressive," he said.

    The 2.3 million-square-foot assembly plant  will be the first factory to build Volvo's new BEVs, Volvo Cars CEO Hakan Samuelsson told Automotive News last summer.

    "This factory will ... also be the only plant in the [Volvo Cars Group] which only makes full-electric cars," said Samuelsson, who steps down as CEO in March.

    The plant will begin assembling the first of two electric crossovers late this year.

    Volvo affiliate Polestar will also launch production of a Porsche Cayenne-sized electric crossover there. And in early 2023, Volvo will begin production of its large flagship electric crossover at the plant.

    High-tech future

    Volvo also gave dealers an early look into several technologies planned for the new models.

    "Some of the things [Volvo is] doing with safety and autonomous driving is at the technology forefront," a dealer said.

    According to sources who attended the Miami meeting, Austin Russell, CEO of safety supplier Luminar Technologies, pitched his company's lidar sensor technology, which uses laser light pulses to create precise images of the environment around the car. Lidar will be a key component of Volvo's "hands-free, eyes-off" Ride Pilot driving technology that will undergo testing in California by the middle of this year.

    Volvo also showed off a seat that self-adjusted for safety based on rider height, a built-in pet crate and an in-vehicle e-commerce platform, dealers said.

    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    Honda to debut small EVs, possible NSX electric successor at Japan Mobility Show
    Recommended for You
    Honda Sustainia-C Concept
    Honda to debut small EVs, possible NSX electric successor at Japan Mobility Show
    Nissan 20-23 concept
    Nissan reveals 20-23 concept ahead of Micra EV launch
    Zeekr 001 sedan.
    Geely's Zeekr jumps into Europe amid EV subsidies dispute
    Dr. Kai Yu, Founder and CEO of Horizon Robotics
    Sponsored Content: Interview with Dr. Yu Kai, Founder and CEO of Horizon Robotics
    Sign up for free newsletters
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    You can unsubscribe at any time through links in these emails. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.

    DAILY NEWSLETTER: Sign up and get the top news of the day in Europe every business weekday.
    Get Free Newsletters

    Sign up and get the best of Automotive News Europe delivered straight to your email inbox, free of charge. Choose your news – we will deliver.

    You can unsubscribe at any time through links in these emails. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.

    SUBSCRIBE TODAY

    Get 24/7 access to in-depth, authoritative coverage of the auto industry from a global team of reporters and editors covering the news that’s vital to your business.

    SUBSCRIBE NOW
    Connect with Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Instagram

    Founded in 1996, Automotive News Europe is the preferred information source for decision-makers and opinion leaders operating in Europe.

    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI  48207-2997
    Tel: +1 877-812-1584

    Email Us

    ISSN 2643-6590 (print)
    ISSN 2643-6604 (online)

     

    Resources
    • About us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with us
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Awards
    • Rising Stars
    • Eurostars
    • Leading Women
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Automotive News Europe
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • HOME
      • Latest news
      • Automakers
      • Suppliers
      • New Product
      • Environment/Emissions
      • Sales By Market
      • On The Move
      • Auto Shows
        • Munich Auto Show
        • Geneva Auto Show
        • Paris Auto Show
        • Beijing Auto Show
        • Shanghai Auto Show
    • Features
      • Long Read
      • Interview of the Month
      • Focus on Electrification
      • Focus on Technology
      • Segment Analysis
      • Cars & Concepts
      • Supplier Spotlight
      • Europe By The Numbers
    • Opinion
      • Blogs
      • Commentary
      • Guest columnists
    • Photos
      • Photo Galleries
      • Geneva Photo Gallery
      • Beijing Photo Gallery
      • Frankfurt Photo Gallery
      • Paris Photo Gallery
      • Shanghai Photo Gallery
    • Europe By The Numbers
    • Car Cutaways
    • Resource Center
    • EVENTS
      • ANE Congress
      • ANE Rising Stars
      • ANE Eurostars
    • More
      • Publishing Partners
        • Capgemini: All or nothing: Why circular business models require a holistic approach
        • Capgemini: Invent Head on automotive takeaways from CES 2023
        • Capgemini: Securing the industry's future through a radical rethink
        • Capgemini: Succeeding with the automated driving journey through AI
        • Capgemini: The circular economy is spurring new thinking on EV batteries
        • Capgemini: Toyota and Capgemini leaders on how OEMs can handle industry changes and succeed
        • HEXAGON: Plugging into data is the only way to make winning EVs
        • PUBLICIS SAPIENT: The power of post-purchase: How automakers can maximize customer lifetime value
        • TOYOTA EUROPE: Toyota Motor Europe's next-gen C-HR: sensory innovations revealed by Vehicle UX leader
        • TUV Rheinland: Ideas, services and certifications for smart mobility
        • TUV Rheinland: Testing of automated and autonomous vehicles on test tracks
        • Toyota Europe
        • UFI Filters
        • SENSEAUTO: Driving the future of mobility with SenseAuto: The AGI power behind the wheel
      • Social Media
        • Facebook
        • Instagram
        • LinkedIn
        • Twitter
      • Contact Us
      • Media Kit
      • About Us