Volvo keeps sedans alive with new electric cars… even in Australia

Volvo Its first electric sedan will be launched in Australia early next year.

“(this) ES90 The company said on its Australian website that it will make its global debut in Stockholm, Sweden, in March 2025 and is expected to hit Australian shores by the end of 2025.

It is understood that the sedan, which is comparable to the BMW i5, is a key model for the brand in China, but will also be sold in multiple markets around the world.

That includes Australia, although the country’s remaining sedan – the S60 – has sold very few. As of the end of October, Volvo had sold only 131 S60s in Australia, less than half of Audi’s A4 sales and about 1/16 of BMW’s 3 Series sales.

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Documents previously leaked in China show that the length, width and height of the ES90 are 4990 mm, 1945 mm and 1547 mm respectively, and the wheelbase is 3102 mm.

That makes it 27mm longer and 66mm wider than the flagship S90, last sold here in 2019, with a 161mm longer wheelbase, although the S90 is also available in a long-wheelbase version.

According to reports, the ES90 will be available in single-motor rear-wheel drive or dual-motor all-wheel drive configurations.

It is expected to adopt the SPA2 architecture of the upcoming flagship SUV EX90 and share a 111kWh battery.

The ES90 will join Volvo’s growing electric vehicle lineup, which currently includes the EX30, EX40 (née XC40 Recharge) and C40 (soon to be renamed EC40).

The EX90 flagship SUV will be launched in China in 2025, while the EM90 people mover will be launched in China.

Volvo’s electric vehicle lineup will expand to include the EX60, expected to be launched in 2026, which will launch on a new platform called SPA3.

It will serve as an electric version of Volvo’s XC60, the world’s best-selling car.

Volvo confirmed in September that it was softening its electric vehicle targets. Instead of committing to selling only electric vehicles by 2030, the company said it aims to achieve 90% to 100% electric vehicle sales by then – a figure that includes plug-in hybrids.

The company has left a buffer of up to 10 percent for its 48-volt mild hybrid models.

The automaker said in a media statement in September: “The slower-than-expected rollout of charging infrastructure, the removal of government incentives in some markets, and recent tariffs on electric vehicles in various markets have created additional uncertainty. “

“With this in mind, Volvo Cars continues to believe that stronger and more stable government policies are needed to support the transition to electrification.

“Strategic alignment towards its electrification goals ensures Volvo Cars has a flexible plan to meet customer preferences and deliver corporate value creation.”

Volvo Cars Australia announced in 2022 that it would move to a fully electric vehicle lineup earlier than the brand did globally, and end its use of internal combustion engine vehicles in 2026.

The company later said that this ambition “remains a focus” but “as the global transition to electrification will not be linear and with customers and markets adopting at different rates, we need to be pragmatic and flexible”.

MORE: Volvo is latest brand to abandon ambitious electric car targets