The Volvo EX90 electric SUV has been delayed again.
Volvo Car CEO Jim Rowan has confirmed during the company’s latest quarterly report presentation that production of the EX90 has been pushed back another 5-6 months due to software issues surrounding its LiDAR system.
Although this delay in production may cause the start of Volvo EX90 customer deliveries to be delayed in some markets, a Volvo Car Australia spokesperson said this announcement won’t have any bearing on the commencement of Australian arrivals, which is still set for the end of 2024.
Production of the Volvo EX90 was originally intended to begin in the fourth quarter of this year, but it has now been pushed back twice. It’ll be made in the US and in China.
The Volvo EX90 is the first vehicle from the Swedish carmaker to offer LiDAR (an acronym for light detection and ranging), which uses laser light pulses to render images of what’s around the vehicle. In conjunction with sensors and cameras it’s claimed to create “a real-time and 360-degree view of the world”.
“We’re writing a lot of [the] software ourselves,” said Mr Rowan during the quarterly report presentation.
“We wanted to make sure that the first time we put LiDAR into our safety stack it operates in the way it should.”
Mr Rowan added the Volvo engineers need “a little bit more time to get that done”.
The Volvo EX90 was first revealed in November 2022 and has an evolutionary design reminiscent of the car it’s destined to replace.
Based on a new Volvo EV architecture, the EX90 will be launched with a large 111kWh battery pack driving two permanent magnet motors – meaning all-wheel drive – with system outputs of up to 380kW and 910Nm.
Volvo is promising this launch EX90 will have a driving range up to 600km on the WLTP test cycle, and will be able to charge from 10 to 80 per cent in less than 30 minutes on a DC fast-charger.
Earlier this year Volvo Car Australia public relations director Greg Bosnich told CarExpert customers are lining up to put their names down for an EX90 even without local pricing and specifications.
“We already had a number of orders [deposits] already. Even without any specification or pricing – it’s in the double digits already,” said Mr Bosnich.
Volvo will follow a similar format to the launch of the all-electric XC40 Recharge for taking customer orders with both the retailer and online portals offering an order opportunity.
“I think the retailer will always have an element of involvement, but it’s just like our other electric vehicles. We will go online and the idea is that Volvo wants to have a direct relationship with the consumer,” said Mr Bosnich.
“We’ve done that with XC40 Recharge, we did that with the C40 Recharge and we’ll follow that format with the new and exciting EX90.”
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