Volvo EX60 to debut new advanced platform, paving the way for the future

The new platform is theoretically compatible with all models of different sizes, covering a wide range of market segments.

Volvo may have abandoned its early goal of becoming a pure-electric car brand by 2030, but that doesn’t affect its plans for future zero-emission models. Expected to debut in 2026, the Volvo EX60 is a very important model, riding on the new SPA3 architecture and serving as an all-electric replacement for the combustion-engine-powered XC60.

The EX60 will be Volvo’s first model built on the new SPA3 scalable architecture, a platform designed to develop future models faster and more economically. The platform is a significant upgrade from SPA2, which already underpins the large EX90 SUV and will also support the upcoming ES90 sedan. Compared to its SPA2 predecessor, SPA3 brings advances such as “enhanced core computing power” and a “more scalable” design.

More: Volvo ES90 expected to be new electric flagship sedan

Starting with the EX90, all future electric vehicles from the Swedish carmaker will use the same “Volvo Cars Superset technology stack”. This is described as a “basic core of systems, modules, software and hardware” that can be configured in a variety of ways and will continue to improve and evolve. Each model will use “a selection or subset of building blocks from the Superset technology stack” depending on its segment and market positioning.

According to Volvo, SPA3 is theoretically compatible with all different sizes of vehicles, from smaller than EX30 to larger than EX90. The “modularity and upgradeability” of the platform means lower investment costs and significantly reduced production costs. This will make the Swedish automaker more flexible and able to adapt faster to changing market conditions.

Volvo EX90

Anders Bell, Volvo Cars’ chief engineering and technology officer, told Autocar that SPA3 will represent a major step forward from an engineering perspective, while also being an “evolution” in terms of software and electronics compared to its predecessor. Bell added that the new platform was “designed from the outset to be more scalable, not only in terms of size, price point and across regions, but also in terms of volumes”.

An electric companion to Volvo’s best-selling model

Volvo deputy CEO Björn Annwall said the upcoming EX60 will bring “huge impetus” and mark a “significant change” in its “electrification journey.” Annwall described the best-selling XC60 as “the core of Volvo’s portfolio” and a “fantastic car,” although many people are waiting for the upcoming electric vehicle option.

The EX60 is expected to be similar in size to the XC60 and may share styling elements with the smaller EX30 and larger EX90. Rivals include the electric versions of the BMW “Neue Klasse” iX3 and Mercedes-Benz GLC, which are due to debut in 2025 and 2026, respectively.

Volvo’s all-electric mid-size SUV was originally revealed as the successor to the XC60 in 2021. However, the new plan hopes to update existing internal combustion engine Volvos so that they can continue to sell alongside new electric vehicles as the global electric vehicle market slows.

Judging by the fact that the current XC60 has remained largely unchanged since 2017, Volvo is likely to introduce a facelifted model in a few years. The same strategy applies to the recently facelifted Volvo XC90, which joins the all-electric EX90 flagship model.

Volvo XC90 (left) and EX90 (right)