The EX90 will be sold alongside mild and plug-in hybrid versions of the XC90 crossover.
With its new electric car, Volvo is joining a busy segment in which Tesla, Mercedes-Benz and BMW are currently fighting for market share.
According to Experian Automotive, the share of electric vehicle registrations in the US increased by more than 85 percent in the first nine months of this year.
Gustafsson expects the EX90 to appeal to Volvo fans looking for zero-emission transportation.
“I’m convinced that our current XC90 customers will get the biggest share,” he said.
Gustafsson also sees customers of Volvo’s XC40 and XC60 crossovers upgrading to larger vehicles as their families grow.
Ernie Norcross, chairman of Volvo’s retail advisory board, said the family dump truck is becoming the most popular in the U.S. market.
“As the market moves toward a more BEV-friendly market, we are poised for success with this vehicle,” said Norcross, owner of Volvo Cars Memphis, Tennessee.
New Jersey Volvo dealer Matthew Heiken describes the EX90 as an “evolution” of the XC90, which led the large premium segment during the first nine months of the year.
The EX90, one of the few three-row EVs, will be aimed at the mainstream EV market, said Heiken, owner of Prestige Collection, which operates two Volvo stores in East Hanover and Englewood.
“This is an EV for the masses,” he said. “We think we could do large volumes with this.”
But it will be more than a year before Volvo’s newest flagship hits US stores.
“We’d like to get the car sooner,” Norcross said. “[But] we want to make sure this car is correct; we want it to be on the money.”
The long lead time, Gustafsson said, will help build awareness and enthusiasm for the high-tech model, which for the first time for Volvo includes lidar sensors as well as bi-directional charging capability.
The automaker will take the EX90 to a nationwide showroom next year, using a “mobile showroom” to educate dealers and consumers about the new technology.
“To prepare for such a large number of electric vehicles in our brand, we need to train our dealer staff,” Gustafsson said.
https://www.autonews.com/cars-concepts/volvo-ex90-flagship-ev-carry-big-sales-load-us
