Volvo to introduce key new models in 2025 and 2026, including flagship sedan

While most car manufacturers are second guessing their electric vehicle strategies as demand patterns change, Volvo is still going full throttle on battery models.

The Swedish premium carmaker plans to launch at least 10 new or revised models in 2025 and 2026, including a new flagship sedan called the ES90 and a midsize electric SUV called the EX60, which will usher in a new platform.

The ES90 flagship sedan is expected to be revealed internationally in 2025 and will be the second model, after the new EX90 SUV, to use the company’s Superset tech stack, which is a single set of hardware and software that will be integrated into all forthcoming cars.

Details remain under wraps, but it’s likely to mimic its SUV sibling’s tech tour de force, with Snapdragon computing and one of the most advanced sensor sets in the world, including a roof-mounted Lidar sensor.

Also on the cards for 2025, albeit later in the year, is what Volvo refers to as a “long-range” plug-in hybrid (PHEV). It’s unclear how much electric range this model will offer, but it would surely need to be well over 100km if Volvo wants to set it apart from existing PHEVs and plug the gap between these and full electric vehicles.

This year will also see the introduction of a Cross Country version of the EX30 electric model, which brings a more SUV-like design package, complete with skid plates, black 19-inch wheels with off-road tyres and a raised ride height.

Various updates and expansions for Volvo’s existing line-up are also planned for 2025.

2026 will see the introduction of the EX60, which will be the first model to use the new SPA3 architecture. This midsize SUV will be the all-electric equivalent of the XC60, which could soldier on with further updates as with the XC90.

Compared with the current SPA2 architecture, Volvo says the SPA3 platform represents a further step in terms of costs, customer benefits and new technological developments. A further two SPA3 products are in the medium-term pipeline.

Although Volvo has backtracked on its plan to become an electric-only brand by 2030, amid cooling demand for EVs, the company is still expecting electric and PHEV models to account for over 90% of its global sales by the end of the decade.

Volvo Cars said that full electrification was still a key pillar of its product strategy, and that it aims to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040.

In the near term however, it is battling with increased competitive pressures and a smaller order book, which it says will make it challenging to reach the volumes and profitability level of 2024.

“2025 will be a year of transition,” Volvo Cars Chief Executive Jim Rowan said during a presentation of the 2024 financial results.

“The global car industry is facing several uncertainties: cyclical, structural, transformational and geopolitical. We have navigated this environment better and faster than many of our peers, but we and the rest of the industry will be severely tested this year. 

“At the same time, we must keep our eyes firmly on the road ahead and not sacrifice the future on the altar of the present. In other words, we must be prudent, diligent and disciplined during a turbulent 2025, while paving the way for our long-term ambitions.”

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