Volvo XC90 Successor Will Be Fully Electric

The XC90’s replacement will be fully electric and feature next-gen autonomous tech.

Volvo has confirmed the successor to the XC90 will be all-electric and debut next year.

Since its release in 2015, the second generation of the Volvo XC90 has been praised for its refinement and design. The SUV has gone through several minor updates and refreshes since then, including the addition of a PHEV variant in 2016.

The first generation XC90 was on sale from 2002 to 2014, so the second generation was initially thought to be sold until sometime around 2026. However, tighter emissions regulations have since been implemented. Also key German rivals are releasing BEV models such the Mercedes EQC, BMW iX, and Audi e-tron. Hence Volvo has decided to release what could potentially be branded as the third-generation XC90 as a fully electric SUV in 2022.

The electric XC90 successor will feature a new type of software called Highway Pilot. This will allow for autonomous driving on highways in regions where it is legal. This system will utilize various ADAS hardware components such as roof-mounted lidar sensors from Luminar Technologies and a processor from NVIDIA Corporation.

As autonomous driving becomes more common, Volvo expects systems to become more sophisticated to deal with real-world scenarios.

With regards to range and general specs, we current have no info. But expect it to be very competitive with rivals. For reference, Volvo’s all-electric XC40 Recharge has a 257 mile WLTP range.

What are your thoughts on self-driving cars, and the electric Volvo XC90 successor? As always, let us know down in the replies section below.

Image via Volvo USA