Volvo has pulled the drapes off the Volvo EM90, its first minivan in more than 70 years of car-making. Not only that it’s battery-powered and more luxurious than its flagship XC90 SUV.
Created to battle with other luxury van-with-windows, like the latest $160,000 Lexus LM and Mercedes V-Class that spend their life shuttling VIPs and celebrities from hotel to airport, the all-new EM90 is closely related to the Zeekr 009 people mover.
That’s because both Zeekr and Volvo are owned by the same Chinese parent, Geely. Sitting on Geely’s SEA (Sustainable Experience Architecture) platform, the Volvo gets its own design which supposedly draws influence by the weird 1953 Volvo Duett wagon.
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More recognisable are the the firm’s Thor’s Hammer headlamps that now flanks a neat illuminated Volvo logo.
The high-tech front end is actually said to also mimic skyscrapers and there’s no hiding the EM90 is a big vehicle. Measuring in at 5205mm long, 2024mm wide and 1859mm high, with a whopping 3205mm-long wheelbase.
At the rear there’s a pair of T-shaped LED lamps and simple surfacing that look very van-like.
Under the skin – for now at least – the Volvo EM90 misses out on the more muscular Zeekr 009’s 400kW/686Nm dual-motor powertrain that can rocket the eight-seater from 0-100km/h in just 4.6sec.
Perhaps more appropriate considering its obsession with safety the Volvo delivers a less frenetic pace and comes with a smaller 200kW motor that drives the rear wheels.
Off the line the EM90 with single motor can achieve a 0-100km/h dash of 8.3 seconds.
Fed by a big 116kWh battery, the EM90 is said to cover 738km between charges – a decent result, but that number is recorded on the less stringent Chinese CLTC testing regime.
There’s no word on what charge that battery can accept but a 10 to 80 per cent charge is said to take less than 30 minutes. As standard the EM90 supports vehicle to load (or bidirectional) charging and is therefore able to power your home in a power cut.
On the move the EM90 should be near silent for occupants as it is equipped with luxury car levels of noise insulation materials, the car-maker’s road noise cancellation tech and even new ‘silent’ tyres.
New dual-chamber air suspension should provide for a supple ride for all onboard.
Speaking of which, despite its size, Volvo will only offer the EM90 with six seats. There are a pair of airline-style armchairs starring in the middle row that can slide forwards and backwards, recline electrically and are both heated and ventilated. They even have their own folding tray tables and control panel to adjust the climate control, audio and other features.
Better still, there’s a large 15.6-inch screen that folds down from the ceiling to provide the full cinematic experience on the highway. The same screen can also be used for Zoom calls, or a huge screen for a laptop and is accompanied by a powerful 21-speaker Bowers and Wilkins sound system.
Up front, Volvo says it has enhanced the EM90’s onboard assistant to allow the owner to reconfigure the cabin with simple voice commands, allowing the minivan to switch from a bedroom to cinema to meeting room, with both the climate control and lighting adjusting automatically for each setting.
Ahead of the driver is a large digital instrument panel that sits alongside a huge 15.4-inch infotainment screen that eliminates almost all physical controls.
Volvo has not announced as yet if it will offer the all-new Volvo EM90 outside of China, but it’s likely if cars like the combustion-powered Lexus LM begin to break through in markets like Australia.
If it is confirmed for our market, the Volvo EM90 could command a price tag of more than $200,000 which would see it cost not far off what Mercedes-Benz charges for its S-Class limo.
