When Volvo unveiled its new flagship model in early November, it only showed the EX90 with a three-row layout and seven seats. However, a potential expansion of the electric SUV's lineup is possible courtesy of the newly developed SPA2 platform shared with the Polestar 3. In an interview with Motor Trend, the Swedish automaker's chief operating officer Javier Varela said the architecture's modularity supports a two-row variant.
That doesn't come as a big surprise considering the Polestar 3 doesn’t have a third row. Both come with a dual-motor setup with all-wheel drive and a combined output of 517 hp (380 kW) and 910 Nm (671 lb-ft) of torque. However, there's room for more as the dedicated EV architecture can be tweaked for a high-performance application. It would make more sense for the Polestar model than the Volvo, but it's too soon to say when/if it'll happen.
Volvo EX90
At the other end of the lineup, a single-motor Volvo EX90 would be rear-wheel drive, according to Varela. A base model would undercut the sole version arriving for the 2024 model year as "well-equipped under $80,000." Initially, the large electric SUV will be produced only in China before hitting the assembly line in 2024 at the upgraded Ridgeville plant. The Polestar 3 will also be assembled at both factories.
Volvo is not giving up on the combustion-engined XC90 just yet since the Swedes aim to keep it on sale for an unspecified number of years in parts of the world where EV adoption isn't that great. In the long run, the Geely-owned marque will come out with a more advanced electric-only architecture, dubbed GPA, which will have much quicker charging speeds courtesy of using an 800V system.
