Pictures of the Volvo EM90, an electric van that will officially debut on 12 November, have appeared on the website of the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). The car looks to be a close relative of the Zeekr 009, its radiator grille obviously alluding to new Volvo models, including the new EX30 and the large EX90. The new Volvo EM90 is to be offered globally, which is quite a surprise when you consider that minivans are rather in retreat in Europe.
Specs: Volvo EM90 vs Zeekr 009
The side line of the Volvo EM90 shows that the car is a very close relative of the Zeekr 009. The fenders, the windows, the mirrors, the way the doors open – it all looks identical on both models. The double A-pillars are identical, too, with glass between them. The Zeekr’s front end is dripping with chrome and the lights are partly hidden in the body lines and air intakes. On the Volvo EM90, the headlights are in the style of an extended Volvo and the radiator grille strongly resembles that of the EX90:
Volvo EM90 (c) Volvo / MIIT
Zeekr 009 (c) Zeekr / Geely
Front of the Volvo EX90. Look at the headlights and the distinctive indentation below the logo
The EM90 badging and lettering in Chinese have appeared on the tailgate. On the roof of the cabin is something that looks like a rear-view camera – presumably part of the electronic rear-view mirror. The lights are stretched vertically and horizontally, extended heavily towards the VOLVO lettering on the tailgate, unlikely to be complemented by a light strip across the full width of the vehicle’s silhouette:
The Zeekr boasts a luxurious interior with six comfortable seats and captain’s chairs in the middle row. The second and third row seats can be moved, the latter even in the “let’s leave some space in the boot” position, seeming to guarantee comfort for passengers at the very end. A seven-seat version is also on offer. In the Volvo EM90 it will be similar, we know this from the teaser:
If we know that the Volvo EM90 and Zeekr 009 will be so closely related, we may venture to say that the specs of the Volvo EM90 in its richest version will include a 140 kWh CATL Qilin battery. The car is capable of all-wheel-drive, accelerating to 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds and offering up to 822 CLTC units of range, around 530 kilometres real-world in mixed mode, around 620 WLTP units [editors’ calculations].
The Zeekr 009 is offered with air suspension as standard, with only one variant available for sale with 400 kW/544 hp of power. But those wishing to save a little money can opt for the cheaper 116 kWh battery, also built with CATL cells, but no longer Qilin. This base model has 702 CLTC units, 450 real-world kilometres in mixed mode, 527 WLTP units [approximate calculations by editors].
Volvo EM90 is to be available with rear-wheel-drive and a 200 kW/286 hp motor, so it will not be as race-crazed as the 009. The Volvo EM90 weighs 2.76 tonnes, the permissible gross weight is 3.25 tonnes. The dimensions of the Volvo EM90 are as follows: 5.206 metres long, 2.024 metres wide, 1.859 metres high. The wheelbase is 3.205 metres (source).
Volvo revealed their first purely electric MPV, the EM90, on China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) website today, and it looks like the exterior is indistinguishable from the ZEEKR 009. pic.twitter.com/OUobiS729f
— Yan Chang (@cyfoxcat) October 16, 2023
A note from the editors: we are pleased to see minivans returning to favour. They are practical and spacious cars. If only their manufacturers could still manage to fit in lengths of up to 5 metres, that would be ideal. The 5.2+ metre models in city car parks look more or less like this:
