Volvo EX60 Officially Bows – ‘Baby’ EX90 Boasts 810 KM Range & 400 KW Charging

Volvo just took the wraps off its new EX60 - the all-electric 'twin' to its best-selling XC60 that's also positioned as the 'baby' EX90 of sorts.

It’s a big day for Swedish marque Volvo not just locally with the ES90, but globally too. Revealed earlier today was the all-new and all-electric (EV) Volvo EX60 – a ‘baby’ version of sorts to the brand’s EX90 flagship EV SUV.

For once, the ‘game-changer’ term used by the marque here may not just be marketing fluff.  Underneath, the fourth bespoke Volvo EV model underpins a new SPA3 platform that revolutionises production, tech, as well as performance and abilities. 

As the first model to use said platform, the EX60 sees the adoption of new construction methods, a range of next-generation electric powertrains plus the most advanced battery tech, all to aimed at boosting range, cost-efficiency, dynamics and, critically, safety.

Underneath, the EX60 underpins the Swedish marque new SPA3 platform that brings radical new production methods on top of more sophisticated tech plus heightened performance, abilities and safety.

The 800-volt SPA3 base is positioned as a highly modular design that Volvo says can be used to develop cars of various sizes ranging from the EX30 to the EX90. All upcoming Volvo EVs from this point on – as well as shared models under parent group Geely – will use this base.

One crucial advancement is the radical new ‘mega-casting’ production method. This sees sections of the car’s structure formed from molten metal in a die-cast mould, thus enabling large parts to be produced as single pieces instead of numerous smaller parts that needs welding or bolting together.

Another key advancement is of course the shift to cell-to-body battery design to improve both weight and production costs. Other benefits of which are heightened structural rigidity and space efficiency, not to mention savings in material costs plus enhanced efficiency of production processes.

Interestingly, Volvo also readied a more rugged and off-road-ready 'Cross Country' guise of the EX60 on top of its three main variants - P6, P10 and P12.

Back to the EX60, both single- and dual-motor choices are available across three main trimlines – Core (P6), Plus (P10) and Ultra (P12). The marque even went the extra mile and developed a jacked-up, offroad-ready Cross Country guise boasting bespoke wheels, skid plates, widened arches plus a 20 MM suspension lift.

Otherwhse, the regular EX60 sports an aerodynamic silhouette that boasts a raked roofline, low bonnet, tapered wheel arches and bluff rear end. Altogether, this sees said crossover SUV’s design boast a low drag coefficient (Cd) figure of just 0.26. This, along with its large battery capacity, contributes to class-leading range figures.

Speaking of, the EX60 sees three battery capacities available – 80 kWh, 91 kWh and 112 kWh. The smallest of the trio can draw in up to 320 kW of DC fast-charging inputs, whereas the latter two takes things up a notch to 370 kW and 400 kW each. In all, Volvo also touts 10-80% re-charge times of 18 minutes for the smaller two, and 19 minutes for the largest one.

The EX60 brings class-leading range claims, with Volvo claiming "up to 810 KM" (WLTP) yielded from a 112 kWh pack primed in its range-topping P12 (Ultra) variant of the EX60.

Moving to WLTP-rated range figures, the 80 kWh pack promises up to 620 KM in the base single-motor P6 guise, whereas the mid-specced P10 variant with its 91 kWh pack paired with a dual-motor setup promises a slightly longer 660 KM. The P12 range-topper’s 112 kWh pack, which is also paired with a dual-motor setup, promises “up to 810 KM”.

Moving to performance, the base EX60 P6 sees its single-motor setup drive its rear wheels with 275 kW (374 PS) and 480 Nm to enable 0-100 km/h dashes in 5.9 secs. The mid-rung P10 sees its dual-motor setup push out 375 kW (510 PS) and 710 Nm instead for a quicker century sprint time of 4.6 secs.

The range-topping P12 guise, on the other hand, sees its dual-motor setup deliver a whopping 500 kW (680 PS) and 790 Nm instead. In turn, 0-100 km/h sprints take just 3.9 secs in this range-topper. In short, this guise stands as the peppiest of the lot with the bonus of quickest charging and longest-range traits included.

On board, the EX60 brings enhanced computing power through its HuginCore system that's rated at 50 billion operations per second.

Visually, the EX60 doesn’t reinvent Volvo’s exterior design ethos so much as it evolves it. On board, both the long wheelbase and flat floor enables extra rear legroom plus a large cargo area. Annoyingly, the EX60, like the EX30, goes without a conventional toggle switch for adjusting the mirrors.

Otherwise, tech levels are high – as per Volvo brand norms. All of the infotainment, driver assistance and vehicle control systems are controlled by a new-generation computing system called HuginCore. Capable of 50 billion operations per second, it brings huge improvements in operating speed and functionality versus past systems.

In terms of production and availability, Volvo Car Malaysia (VCM) had previously confirmed plans to introduce the EX60 locally, though no firm timeline was stated. However, online sources report production of the EX60 in Sweden will commence this year from Spring time onwards, and deliveries commencing from summer onwards.