Among the crucial models in development as part of Volvo’s EV onslaught is the all-new, all-electric and all-important successor to the Volvo XC60. The SUV has been the Swedish brand’s best-selling car for the past four years running.
Due in 2024 to fill the gap between the XC40 Recharge electric SUV and the long-awaited electric replacement for the XC90 SUV coming later this year, the XC60 successor (which will have a name rather than a numerical designation) will play a core role in taking Volvo to its goal of all-out electrification by 2030.
EVs accounted for just 6.5% of Volvo’s global sales last year (its best on record), but the Swedish company aims to boost that figure to 50% by 2025 on the way to ditching combustion entirely by 2030. A swiftly expanding line-up of EVs, heavy investment in production facilities and new car construction processes will be key to achieving this goal, as Volvo looks to emerge as a front runner among the ‘legacy’ manufacturers going up against Tesla.
The BMW iX3 rival will be the first production car to be powered by batteries produced by the new joint venture of Volvo and battery company Northvolt, which is building a new battery factory in Sweden with a view to reaching an annual output of 50GWh by 2026.
It says this will be enough to power 500,000 cars per year, which is well over two-thirds of Volvo’s current overall output.
Before that factory opens, Volvo will procure batteries for the XC60 replacement from Northvolt’s existing facility at a rate of 15GWh annually from 2024.
Given the popularity of the current combustion-engined XC60, Volvo is likely to keep it on sale for a period alongside the new EV.
Importantly, it has strongly hinted that the EV will use the same SPA2 architecture as the XC90 successor, which can house both pure-electric and hybrid drivetrains, paving the way for both hybrid and electric versions to share the same design – clues to which were given by the larger Concept Recharge last year.
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So finally Volvo give up and decide to make an Evoque.
Maybe JLR should give up on Evoque and make a XC60? Oh, wait, they already do that, the F-Pace, just virtually nobody really cares.