- The 2024 Volvo EM90 luxury minivan has been revealed in patent office images ahead of its official debut in China.
- Paired closely with Geely’s Zeekr 009 minivan, the EM90 is expected to offer two battery options, both above the 100 kWh mark, as well as a luxurious interior.
- The Volvo EM90 is expected to be offered solely in China for now, where luxury minivans are a popular segment, with Volvo sticking to SUVs and crossovers stateside.
The Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) continues to spill images of planned production models weeks before their official debuts, and a couple of days ago it was Volvo’s turn, for its first electric minivan.
The fact that Volvo will begin selling an electric minivan was not a surprise—we’ve known this model was in the works for over a year—and that it would be based on the equally boxy Zeekr 009.
Catering to China’s luxury MPV segment, which remains strong, the EM90 will focus on offering first-class airline seating for passengers more than overall seat count. Think of it as a six-seat luxury yacht for the road rather than a soccer team shuttle.
But what about its performance attributes? As this is a segment we haven’t seen EV makers address until very recently, its numbers are harder to predict.
Still, the model’s Zeekr 009 sibling has already entered production, allowing for some good guesses about the Volvo version’s drivetrain. And both of them should be nothing short of extravagant, with a 116-kWh battery pack being the smaller option, offering 436 miles of range in the CLTC cycle, while a 140-kWh battery promises nothing short of a 510-mile range in the CLTC (China Light-duty-vehicle Test Cycle).
The luxury MPV segment in China has been lucrative one over the past two decades, and it’s now going electric.
For context, the Tesla Model S features a 100-kWh battery, while the Mercedes-Benz EQS sedan uses a 108.4-kWh battery.
These specs approach Lucid Air numbers on paper, but remember to make a generous allowance for the very optimistic CLTC cycle.
A single 272-hp motor out back is expected to provide the power in the Volvo model, just like in the Zeekr 009, which should be just enough to propel batteries this massive down the road.
Needless to say, an electric Volvo minivan is not terribly likely to make it stateside. But it’s worth noting that Volvo and Polestar already sell cars in the US that are produced in China, so this wouldn’t be a first in that respect. The automaker could certainly bring it here if it chose to do so.
The bigger question is whether Volvo feels there could be a business case for a luxury, electric MPV with very large batteries stateside.
The gas-engined minivan segment has seemingly hit rock bottom after its height in the 1990s, with just a handful of players left. Offering an electric one with a 116-kWh pack as the smaller option would be too lavish, even if Volvo would command nearly 100% of the electric minivan segment.
And besides, this role is expected to be filled by the EX90 SUV, headed here early next year after some delays.
Should Volvo offer the EM90 in the US, or are electric minivans a segment that won’t see much demand in the present time, in contrast to SUVs and crossovers? Let us know what you think.
Jay Ramey grew up around very strange European cars, and instead of seeking out something reliable and comfortable for his own personal use he has been drawn to the more adventurous side of the dependability spectrum. Despite being followed around by French cars for the past decade, he has somehow been able to avoid Citroën ownership, judging them too commonplace, and is currently looking at cars from the former Czechoslovakia. Jay has been with Autoweek since 2013.
