Wagons are making a comeback in electrical kind. Though Volvo is ready to supply its final wagon this April, it might return as an EV.
Is Volvo bringing the wagon again as an EV?
Volvo made it official in December. The ultimate V60 Cross Nation will roll off the manufacturing line in April 2026, Volvo’s remaining wagon offered within the US.
Like many automakers within the US, Volvo’s lineup now consists of SUVs and crossovers as a result of that’s what People favor.
That would quickly change. Due to its new SPA3 platform, set to debut with the brand new EX60 SUV, Volvo is now in a position to introduce new physique varieties, together with low-riding sedans and wagons.
Throughout an interview with Autocar, Volvo’s tech boss, Anders Bell, defined that SPA3 is constructed from the bottom up for EVs. In contrast to SPA2, which was tailored from an ICE platform, SPA3 “opens new potentialities” that allow next-gen Volvo EVs to be extra carefully sized and formed to their ICE counterparts.
“We will make [cars] excessive. We will make them low. It’s all in scalability and that is unlocked by eradicating the combustion engine, the exhaust, gas tanks and all the things from the equation,” Bell mentioned.
One of many principal causes vehicles seem wider nowadays, based on Bell, is that automakers utilizing tailored ICE platforms should enhance dimensions to accommodate bigger batteries, or they threat sacrificing inside area.
Volvo’s SPA3 platform solves this with the flexibility to unfold battery cells throughout the floorplan. For the reason that cells can now be positioned forward of the scuttle, Bell mentioned, “we are able to put seven kilowatts – at a minimal, most likely extra – of the pack additional ahead, whereas nonetheless doing all of the loopy Volvo crash stuff.”
Primarily based on SPA2, the ES90 sits greater as a result of all seats and footwells should be on prime of the battery. That’s why many EVs based mostly on ICE platforms “appear to be child SUVs,” Bell mentioned.
With its new platform, “We will do low. We will do smooth. We will do excessive. We will do MPVs… It’s all within the cookbook,” Volvo’s tech boss mentioned. Nonetheless, what Volvo chooses to do “is a distinct story,” Bell added.
Will it come to the US?
Whereas it’s removed from a affirmation, Bell’s feedback not less than verify Volvo can develop an EV wagon or sedan if it sees match.
Would Volvo deliver an electrical wagon to the US? Throughout the EX60’s world premiere final month, Volvo’s Chief Technique and Product Officer Michael Fleiss instructed The Drive to “watch this area” when requested in regards to the return of a Volvo wagon.
Does the US have a marketplace for wagons with greater SUVs and vans dominating gross sales? In response to Fleiss, there may be.
“Even, curiously, China is developing with wagons. It’s sizzling sh*t proper now. So persons are actually liking wagons,” Fleiss mentioned. 10 years in the past, it was a distinct story, however demand for wagons is rising in Europe, China, and different international markets as a result of their aerodynamic and effectivity benefits.
Whereas an electrical Volvo wagon would seemingly be aimed toward Europe, “why not, in case you have one, additionally promote it within the US,” Fleiss added.
A number of electrical wagons are already on sale in Europe, together with the Volkswagen ID.7 Tourer, BMW i5 Touring, Audi A6 Avant e-tron, and Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo. Will Volvo be subsequent?
Would you purchase an electrical Volvo wagon over a Volkswagen, BMW, Audi, or Porsche? Tell us your ideas within the feedback beneath.
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