ELECTRIC CAR

XC60 successor to come in all-electric version in 2025

After the XC40, it's now the turn of the XC60: the successor to Volvo's bestseller goes electric in 2025! Before that, the all-electric XC90 SUV will hit the shops, but the electrified flagship XC60 plays an essential role in the full electrification of the fleet by 2030. The combustion XC60 will probably be built in parallel for a while because of its popularity.

Volvo is lagging a bit behind the electric car world, in 2021 only 6.5 per cent of all Volvos sold had a fully electric powertrain - and that was already the absolute record. If it wants to reach its target of selling 50 per cent of all cars with electric drive by 2025 (and 100 per cent by 2030), Volvo will probably have to step on the gas a bit. New models, heavy investments in production lines and a new design process will support the achievement of the target. After all, Volvo wants to become nothing less than the leader of the European e-car manufacturers in the duel against Tesla.

To achieve this, Volvo is also securing the essential components: the electric XC60 will be the first car powered by a battery from the new joint venture with Northvolt. Northvolt will build a new battery factory in Sweden, with an annual output of 50 GWh from 2026, enough to equip 500,000 cars every year, more than two-thirds of Volvo's total production. Before the new factory gets going, the batteries for the XC60 successor - which will be given a name, not just a number combination - will come from the existing Northvolt factory in northern Sweden. However, it will only produce 15 GWh per year from 2024.

Like many other manufacturers, Volvo is probably relying on a common basis: the XC60 successor is to be built on the same SPA2 architecture as the successor to the XC90. Both fully electric and hybrid-electric powertrains could be built on top of this. This allows for electric and hybrid model versions in the same design. The "Recharge" concept car presented last year gives a clear indication in this direction. And outgoing Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson also argues in this direction. "Our concept car shows everything that could be created on the common platform," he explains cryptically. He has already confirmed that the traditional, rather low Volvo station wagons will be replaced and at the same time, the SUVs will be adapted to more of a traditional two-box shape, bringing all models closer together design-wise.

Volvo CFO Björn Annwall explains why the all-electric successor to the XC90 will hit the shops first by referring to the life cycle of the existing cars. The successor to the XC60 can thus be electrified as cost-efficiently as possible. They don't want to do anything wrong with the bestseller. In addition, the smaller SUV is to get a higher level of semi-autonomous driving and connectivity, with LIDAR sensors from Luminar and an "autonomous driving computer" from software giant Nvidia. This technology is designed to help Volvo achieve its self-imposed goal of eliminating serious accidents once and for all. A new autopilot function will be integrated so that autonomous driving can take place on routes where this is approved.