Let’s say you’re a global automaker and you’ve just launched a new electric three-row crossover and a little, more affordable electric crossover. What’s your next plan of action? Logic suggests that you’d then try to fill the gap in the middle, as the crossover utility vehicle has proven itself to be the dominant automotive form of the 2020s. Instead, a brand obsessed with keeping things safe is throwing caution to the wind by announcing the incoming Volvo ES90, a flagship electric sedan. I’m sure it’s going to look great, but it’s a perplexing decision as flagship electric sedan sales across the board aren’t exactly hot right now.
Yes, Volvo officially confirmed in a presentation today for the updated XC90 crossover and the EX90 electric crossover that it will be making an all-electric large sedan called the ES90. By Volvo standards, that name’s quite easy to follow, and even though the handful of teaser images released are all dimly lit and intentionally obfuscated, the short deck and classy greenhouse mean we likely have little to worry about.
Actually, the only thing we really have trepidation over is just who’s going to buy yet another posh, near-silent four-door. It’s no secret that the flagship electric luxury sedan market is tiny, but just to get some actual perspective of what sort of volumes we might possibly see from the ES90, here are some sales numbers for prime competitors.
Last year, Lucid sold a mere 6,001 Air electric sedans globally, and while that might be a startup company, more established brands aren’t doing massively better. In 2023, Mercedes-Benz sold 6,688 EQS sedans in America, and that figure was down 11 percent over 2022. Porsche still managed to move 7,570 Taycans last year, but Audi only shifted 3,202 e-tron GTs in America.
As for other flagship BEV sedan sales, some of them are hard to track. See, BMW lumps i7 sales under 7 Series sales, while Tesla combines Model S, Model X, and Cybertruck sales figures together. However, even those combined figures stood at 10,811 and 68,874 respectively, although Tesla’s figure is a global total.
We’re talking about a very small pie in the grand scheme of things, yet Volvo’s still aiming for a slice of it before launching a sort-of BMW X3-sized thing. Is it the right move from a sales perspective? In North America, probably not. However, I certainly won’t complain about the possibility of another elegant, sumptuous sedan being born into this world. There’s just something right about a well-executed upscale four-door, and the quiet glide of electric power is perfectly suited to the luxury brief. We’ll find out soon enough whether the Volvo ES90 lives up to the high bar set by the lovely S90 sedan, because even though it was only teased on Wednesday, a debut likely isn’t much more than a year out at most.
(Photo credits: Volvo)
Support our mission of championing car culture by becoming an Official Autopian Member.
-
This Is The 2026 Volvo XC90 Before You’re Supposed To See It
-
The 2025 Volvo EX90 Is Surprisingly Cool But Still A Work In Progress
-
Here’s Why The Original Volvo XC90 Is Still The Best Crossover Of All Time
-
Volvo Has Royally Ticked Off EX90 Customers With Price Hikes And Missing Features
-
The Volvo EX90 Excellence Is The Latest In A Long Line Of Underappreciated Volvo Swagger-Mobiles
Got a hot tip? Send it to us here. Or check out the stories on our homepage.
Let’s just all hope it has a rear window.
Good! We need more sedan options. I REALLY don’t like SUVs; they all look basically the same… morbidly-obese hatchbacks
Maybe they are expecting it to sell in China?
It’s going to be a looker, but the people want an EV90 wagon too.
The pricing of EVs means an EV90 is probably more likely, but I’d rather have an EV60 (because of course I would, as the current owner of a V60).
Me: yay a sedan!
*reads it’s a luxury BEV*
Anyway how about the upcoming straight 6, AWD Charger EV and rumored Mustang sedan?!
Mustang sedan now? I dunno if that’s horrifying, terrifying, or both.
So a bigger Polestar 2?
We’re not offering you chicken and rice! We’re offering you RICE AND CHICKEN!
I mean, the Polestar 2 started life as a Volvo S40 concept – so, yes
No matter what else happens, I can (almost) guarantee you, it’ll look GOOD.
I have an S60, which I find to be a perfect footprint size for us, especially on longer trips. Volvo seems to be forgetting that middle size, unless you want an XC60, which I definitely do not want.
S60 Recharge owner here too. At least you can still get the V60 even though the sedan has been shot in the head.
S60 Recharge owner here three. Volvo is seriously missing out on the 60 range for EVs. I have no interest in the EX30, its cool but too small. The EX90 is nice, but far too big. Then you have the XC40 and C40… too small. and now an ES90… too big.
Exactly. We have a V60 CC and now a XC90 Recharge. We want to replace the V60 with an EV at some point but we don’t want another large (90) and the 30 and 40 are just a little too small. A V60 EV would be absolutely Goldilocks.
It’s a Polestar2 for the S60 if I’m being honest. V60, much harder to find an electric wagon.
I was 90% of the way to getting it, and stumbled across the S60 Recharge that we have now. The flexibility with the PHEV won the day for similar dollars.
The Polestar is quite small though, really. It’s an ‘S40’, really, not S60, although the hatchback design does give it an edge on the practicality side of things. The car was originally part of the pair of concepts that also lead to the XC40 – they were called Concept 40.1 (XC40) and Concept 40.2 (Polestar 2). I do love my Polestar 2 though. Great car. But I’d take an electric V60 in a heartbeat!
https://www.volvocars.com/intl/v/cars/concept-models/concept-40
My other Volvo is a C40, which works well for my local trips and occasional commute (where I can charge, which is good in New England winters), but it feels a bit cramped for a long trip. Prior to the C40, I had an XC90T8, which I found too large.
My S60 is just a B5 model, but on long trips, I can usually get near 40mpg in the summer. Even around town, I average 32mpg in the summer. It also uses the cheaper (vs. the C40) snow tires I had for my previous V60, so that’s a win, too.
Would you rather be a small fish in a big pond, or a big fish in a small pond?
Volvo is not a large automaker — about 100k/yr in the US. But their recent sedans (especially their PHEVs) have been showered with praise from critics. It’s a niche, but it’s a niche they’re good at.
Bringing home the gold in a niche race brings more recognition than placing 12th in a huge competition.
And plus we need more medium-sized premium vehicles instead of more Cadillac suvs that are 20ft long and have a 6ft tall hood.
I want more station wagons from them. It amazes me they don’t have an EV wagon of any sort.
That’s exactly what I want from them. A V60 EV
I wouldn’t be surprised if they make an estate version of this ES90. Would probably still be called an ES90 though – Genesis have got the ‘EVnumber’ names taken.
I’ve always liked the look of Volvo sedans; very classy. I might own one someday, so I’m glad that Volvo wants to keep making them, even if these will probably only sell in small volumes.
In a way, it’s fine if it doesn’t move a lot of units. Automakers need flagship vehicles that are useful for getting people interested in the brand, regardless of sales numbers (Dodge Viper, Ford GT, Lexus LFA, Nissan GT-R, etc.)
The demise of the sedan and the apparent return of sedans in favor of wagons is puzzling. Do wagons still have a bad rep in the world of normal people? They buy up stilted wagons like mad, but god forbid one be close to the ground. Point being: Volvo was the wagon king. Why isn’t this a wagon?
My wife doesn’t mind sedans at all, but absolutely detests wagons. Something about “they’re only ever driven by creepy middle-aged wierdos.” Yes I’m serious, no I don’t understand it at all. So yes, I think that for whatever reason there are still “normal people” who hate wagons.
And of course, the same car with a three inch lift and ugly grey plastic slathered over the fenders is perfectly fine! /s
My wife is the same way. She wants absolutely nothing to do with a wagon or minivan because she thinks they’re uncool but lusts over what are essentially lifted wagons with body cladding. I’ve ranted about the lack of sporty wagons in the US before and she said she didn’t get why I wanted a “mom car”.
…as if an S4 wagon is more mom-ey than a goddamn Highlander. Idk man. Normies have really weird opinions on cars.
Meanwhile, an actual quote from my partner when she first saw my Saab 9-5 wagon: “My ovaries are so turned on right now.”
My wife is the opposite, she’s only interested in wagons and vans. She hates high hoodlines cause of the difficulty to see kids in front of trucks/suvs and the rising accidents and deaths from that. But she also likes hauling stuff around and being the friend that helps move stuff so a minivan or wagon is just right. We’re on our second minivan and I’ll admit it’s pretty great, a box on wheels with a super low lift height is ideal for moving stuff around.
Sounds like a victim of marketing.
Might she have “wagons” confused with “third DUI, my license is really gone for good this time, I’m going to sing the same Rocky Horror Picture Show song interleaved with personal details about how much I know about anime with unnervingly long eye contact with any women not clearly associated with a man in these final minutes of karaoke night-scooters?”
The V90 (wagon) was revealed 2mo after the S90 (sedan) launched. I wouldn’t be surprised if the same thing happened with the EV90.
There’s an entire generation in our late 30s and early 40s who grew up with station wagons and want them back.
The thing is, we don’t have money and with the way things are going, we probably never will.
Preach. I’m in the same boat as you.
Not that Tesla is known for rational behavior, but what possible justification could there be for this?
I asked myself the same question. The only answer I could come up with was to make the numbers look better or hide the actual numbers for their slower-selling models. Boils it down to Model 3, Model Y, and “Other”.