The first prototype of the new Volvo EX60 – the firm's first model to sit on an advanced new highly scalable platform – will begin on-road testing this year ahead of is production launch in 2026.
The new model will be a key model for Volvo’s electric switch as the EV equivalent of the hugely popular XC60 family SUV, which has long been its best-seller.
The EX60 will be the first model to sit on the SPA3 platform, which is effectively a successor to the platform used for the EX90 large SUV and forthcoming ES90 saloon but scalable to allow for cars both smaller and larger than Volvo's current line-up.
As with those models, the EX60 will be designed around an advanced software stack, giving it the ability to accept over-the-air updates and other extras.
Volvo confirmed the first EX60 test vehicle would be built and driven this year during its latest financial results presentation.
Bosses had previously described the model as a "huge boost" in Volvo's electriciation journey, given that it would serve as the electric sister model to its best-seller.
Tech chief Anders Bell described the SPA3 platform as being "100% electric and 100% Volvo Cars", rather than a shared Geely group platform, such as the SEA platform used for the EX30 crossover.
"Because it's 100% electric, we've been able to remove all the old constraints of the combustion engine," said Bell. "We very much took a first-principles approach to it. You will see the highest level of supremely well-integrated technology coming together in these products."
The EX60 is likely to broadly match the dimensions of the XC60 (pictured below) and will doubtless take styling cues from the EX30 and EX90.
Bell said the SPA3 is “a big step from a mechanical perspective, but from a software electronics perspective, it's a straight evolution”.
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Volvo aren't a tech company so they shouldn't be trying to be one. Good usability is massively important in safely operating a vehicle. As an ergonomist I find it so baffling that car companies have ignored basic human factors/usability principles to save a few quid on each vehicle. Basic heating/ventilation controls need separate rotary controls that do need the driver to take their eyes off the road to operate. Volvo can't claim to be safety focused if they insist on such heavy reliance on touchscreen controls. It's dangerous.
Following on from the pricing structure of the EX90, I wonder how much this one will be?
I won't hold my breath.