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New Delhi: As the demand for big SUVs keeps growing in the international markets, Volvo are now considering a new three-row hybrid SUV. The Swedish brand’s Hakan Samuelsson boss told Autocar UK, that even though Volvo haven’t made any decision into the big SUV market, the brand is definitely mulling over the possibility of the new Volvo SUV.
If Volvo were to carry on, the new SUV is likely to be bigger than the XC90 and EX90. The XC90 that is coming to India measures at 4.95 metres in length, while the EX90 electric and the EX90 EV SUV sold in the USA is over 5 metres in length. Volvo might look towards China’s Geely Group, at the luxury subsidiary Zeekr, for a way ahead.
Standing at above the 5.2-meter length, the new Zeekr 9X is quite larger and the new Zeekr 9X flagship three-row SUV with a plug-in hybrid powertrain. The SUV measures over 5.2 meters. This will be rivalling the BMW X7 and the Mercedes-Benz GLS.
Volvo’s President and CEO, Samuelsson, further told Autocar UK that their main market for the foreseeable future seems to be more interested in the hybrid market. The brand chose to base their next flagship SUV on Geely’s SEA (Sustainable Experience Architecture) platform, with the previously mentioned Zeekr 9X based on an interaction of this very platform. Alternatively, the Swedish carmaker might repurpose their own SPA (Scalable Product Architecture) platform, which presently underpins the models which include EX90 and XC90.
Even though the next flagship SUV might be a hybrid, there is no clear answer on the powertrain front. The brand has quite a few options for them to choose from. The XC90 plug-in hybrid sold in the USA at present comes with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, an 18.8 kWh battery pack and a single electric motor, which makes a total of 455 bhp.
If they do go for the Zeekr way, they could use the latter’s 900-volt ‘Super Hybrid system’ that is capable of making 1,360 bhp in the 9X. Samuelsson noted that the weight penalty of taking big batteries for long-range driving was a big reason why Volvo did not consider making their next flagship SUV EV.
Volvo have already made the EX90 electric SUV at their South Carolina factory, with others being made at their Chengdu facility in China. The US is undoubtedly the Swedish marque’s biggest market outside of China. The two markets have shown growing demand for three-row SUVs, with the XC90 and EX90 at present being the ones who meets this demand. Samuelsson feels that if a car is made there, the US market and customers will be interested in it.
