The Volvo XC90 and EX90 are the brand’s flagship models, but the Swedish marque is keen on stepping up a size to take on the Mercedes-Benz GLS and BMW X7.
During a briefing last week in Stockholm, Volvo CEO Håkan Samuelsson told the media demand for three-row SUVs continues to grow in the US and China.
In a subsequent chat with Automotive News, he went further, stating: “Bigger SUVs, that is something we’re looking into.” However, Mr Samuelsson cautioned such a vehicle has yet to be green-lit.
If an extra-large Volvo SUV were to be given the go-ahead, it’s likely it would be produced in the automaker’s US factory in South Carolina, given the company’s policy of producing vehicles where there is greatest demand. Currently, models built in China attract heavy tariffs when shipped to the US.
The South Carolina plant currently produces the Volvo EX90 and Polestar 3 electric SUVs, and is scheduled to begin production of the XC60 in 2027. Last September, the company confirmed it would be adding a plug-in hybrid to the factory’s roster in the not-too-distant future.
Mr Samuelsson stopped short of confirming Volvo’s desired larger three-row SUV will be produced in South Carolina, telling the trade publication the new car “may be a bigger one”, and saying the plug-in hybrid would be “very attractive for US customers”.
Erik Severinson, Volvo’s chief commercial officer, told Automotive News a larger SUV would have to be “not too big for another market”, hinting it may be suitable for Europe too.
That rules out a hulking SUV to take on the likes of the Cadillac Escalade, likely placing the new model into the fray against the BMW X7 and Mercedes-Benz GLS, both of which are around 5.2m long. The existing XC90 and EX90 are both around the 5.0m mark.
It’s unknown what platform any X7 competitor would use, but there are two leading contenders. The first is an updated version of the Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) that underpins the XC90.
Mr Severinson hinted at another possibility, noting Volvo has “unique access to the Chinese market, like no other Western OEM has” thanks to its owner Geely. He described an ability to “collaborate on components, platforms, manufacturing sites” as Volvo’s “superpower”.
Volvo has already used this access to turn the Zeekr 009 into the Volvo EM90 people mover. The closest SUV in the group’s lineup to an X7 rival is the 5.2m Zeekr 9X, which is based on the firm’s Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA-S).
Available exclusively as a 2.0-litre plug-in hybrid, the entry-level 9X has two electric motors for a total output of 660kW, and a 55kWh battery good for an estimated 300km of pure-electric driving under the generous CLTC standard.
Higher-level trims sport three electric motors for a total output of 1030kW, and a larger 70kWh battery to boost the EV range, under CLTC, to 380km.