The Volvo EM90 is big and boxy, but it’s not a crossover or even a wagon.
Here in North America, we have a few established players committed to keeping a defining trait of suburbia alive. The Chrysler Pacifica lives on as the spiritual successor to the OG minivan, while we have a few other players like the Toyota Sienna, Honda Odyssey and Kia Carnival. One name you totally wouldn’t expect to hear about in the minivan game (or ‘MPV’, as its called overseas) is Volvo. But that’s exactly what we have here. Meet the Volvo EM90: As weird as it might sound, the company is indeed teasing its first minivan…with a couple asterisks.
To address the first big elephant in the room, it’s not coming to the US. Volvo only plans to sell this large electric van in China, where there’s actually a fairly active minivan scene.
Remember the Zeekr 009? I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t, but (unofficial) word has it that the EM90 is based on that vehicle. Volvo did not mention any specific technical information, but that does make sense, as both Zeekr and Volvo are under Chinese parent company Geely’s umbrella. Geely established Zeekr in 2021, and notes that van uses a dual-motor setup putting out 544 horsepower. Thanks to a 140-kWh battery pack, it may also manage up to approximately 511 miles on a single charge. If those numbers prove accurate here, the Volvo EM90 could be a bit of a sleeper — if you can say such things about a minivan with a straight face. I mean, we never officially did get a Pacifica Hellcat, now did we?
Here’s what we know so far
All that Volvo did say about the EM90 is that this van “is designed for you to make the most of the time spent in the car, like a Scandanavian living room on the move.” Yes, that is what the company said about it in its own announcement Thursday. Furthermore, the EM90 “creates room for your life”. I’d certainly hope so, since the whole shtick of buying a minivan is practical space, but we’ll see how folks interpret those words when it’s time for the full reveal.
We’ll know more about the Volvo EM90 on November 12. Sales in China will open up immediately following the debut, but it’s extremely unlikely we’ll see this car in North America. Nevertheless, now you know: Volvo is in fact building an electric minivan.
I have a feeling Volvo will call things good here with the EX90, followed by the smaller EX30 coming in the next several months.
