Volvo is set to introduce a new large sedan to replace the S90 overseas, and the Chinese-owned Swedish brand has teased the upcoming electric vehicle (EV) in the form of a vague image and short video on its website.
The Volvo ES90 is expected to be the brand’s rival to cars like the BMW i5, Mercedes-Benz EQE, and upcoming Audi A6 e-tron, the latter of which is due to arrive in Australia in the first half of 2025.
Teaser images reveal a sleek sedan profile, with a steeply raked windscreen and short, liftback-style rear end.
If its anything like the outgoing S90, the ES90 will boast sizeable proportions, with its petrol-powered predecessor measuring 4990mm long, 1945mm wide, and 1547mm tall, while riding atop a 3102mm wheelbase.
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Expected to be revealed next year, the ES90’s name follows the same convention as other Volvo EVs such as the EX90 and EX30 SUVs, while also showing the brand isn’t done yet with sedans despite being a niche sales player.
In Australia, where neither the S90 nor its V90 Cross Country sibling have been available since 2019, Volvo’s only sedan is the S60. It was the brand’s lowest-selling model last year, with only 152 examples shifted.
Volvo Australia has previously said it’ll add another EV to its lineup in 2025, though it’s yet to confirm if it’ll be the EM90 people mover or the ES90 sedan.
As reported in December, a pre-production example of the ES90 example was built at Volvo’s Shanghai plant last year, with the demand for sedans in the Chinese market likely a key reason why the brand is producing the car at all.
The ES90 will reportedly share the SPA2 architecture of the upcoming Volvo EX90 and Polestar 3 SUVs.
Chinese government approval documents leaked online in 2022 seemingly confirmed production of the sedan would begin in May 2024, though this has since been and gone.
According to those documents, it’ll use the 111kWh battery from the EX90 and be offered in either single-motor rear-wheel drive or dual-motor all-wheel drive configurations.
It’s been confirmed the S60 and V60 Cross Country will stick around for now, despite having been axed in the UK, though noted its line-up could look different as it moves to an electric-only range.
Current S90 
The teasers come despite Volvo’s decision to adjust its EV sales goals, which were walked back from selling only EVs by 2030, to targeting 90 to 100 per cent electrified vehicle sales by 2030.
Cooling demand for EVs has led to the shift, and the new target for 2030 includes plug-in hybrids (PHEVs).
It’s unclear how Volvo’s revised global targets will affect its plans in Australia.
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