Update: All parts of the story have been revised with the latest developments.
Following the Volvo EX90, Volvo Cars is introducing a smaller and higher-volume electric SUV for the global midsize segment, the Volvo EX60. Volvo positions the EX60 as the all-electric alternative to the XC60, filling its current gap in the midsize SUV class, which it describes as the largest SUV and BEV segment in the world.
By adding the EX60, the company expects Volvo’s addressable BEV SUV market coverage to go from roughly 25% to about 75%, making the new model central to reaching its 2030 electrification mix targets.
SPA 3 Platform
The Volvo EX60 will debut a new ‘SPA 3’ platform, Erik Severinson, the company’s Chief Product & Strategy Officer, revealed at the 2024 Capital Markets Day on September 5, 2024.
He said the SPA 3 “is the next-generation (platform) and a step function change from SPA2,” the platform that underpins the Volvo EX90 and Volvo ES90. Thus, the upcoming electric midsize SUV will pack big improvements in technology, he added.
The EX60 will make a fantastic entry in the premium electric C/D segment, but SPA 3 can also create cars in many other segments – should the company decide to do. Larger than the EX90 and smaller than the EX30 – using the same scalable tech stack with supreme integration and the possibility of providing great margins.
Anders Bell, Chief Engineering & Technology Officer, Volvo Cars (2024 Capital Markets Day on September 5, 2024)
Jim Rowan, the former President and CEO of Volvo Cars, indicated at the 2024 Capital Markets Day that the company strategically decided not to rush with its Tesla Model Y rival though it could have been tempting in terms of sales volume.
There is a reason that we waited for the EX, we just announced the EX60 today, there is a reason we waited for the EX60 to come out on the SPA 3 platform. It’s a volume car. You get the benefits of having volume and price reduction, and of course, that’s a magic formula in itself. So when we get the EX60 the value release that’s when you get that SPA 3 architecture, a massively reduced cost and a high-volume car in a BEV format.
Jim Rowan, former President and CEO, Volvo Cars (2024 Capital Markets Day on September 5, 2024)
Skateboard-like floor
At Volvo Cars’ Strategy Update 2025 on November 6, 2025, the company’s Chief Engineering & Technology Officer Anders Bell said that the SPA 3 removes combustion-engine constraints and creates a unified layout for the battery, motors, HVAC, chassis, and electrical system so that Volvo can reuse major structures across different sizes of cars while lowering complexity.
Specifications
XC60 Plug-in Hybrid’s cost
At the Strategy Update 2025, Volvo said that the EX60 is engineered for price parity with the XC60 T6 plug-in hybrid in Europe while delivering better margins. It frames the EX60 as a volume BEV that combines reduced hardware cost, higher gross margins, and competitive midsize SUV pricing as part of its core profit plan.
Next-gen motors
The Volvo EX60 will feature the company’s third-generation electric motors, designed and manufactured in-house. Bell said at the 2024 Capital Markets Day that Volvo Cars aims to improve the efficiency from 91% in the second-generation motors to 93% in the third-generation units.
The company expects the latter to cost 40% less, Fredrik Hansson, the company’s Deputy CFO and Head of Performance Steering, said at the same event.
Cell-to-body (CTB) technology
The Volvo EX60 will feature battery cells integrated with its body structure instead of being stacked into battery modules inside a battery pack on the vehicle floor, Bell revealed at the 2024 Capital Markets Day. This ‘cell-to-body (CTB)’ technology saves weight, reduces cost, and reinforces the structure of the EV. Moreover, it improves interior space and thermal management, Bell said.
In the EX60, the battery pack doubles as the floor of the vehicle, with the body built around an opening that the pack slides into, and the seats mounted directly on top of the pack, a structural solution Volvo targets for about 25% cost saving at pack and floor level.
More efficient battery cells
The Volvo EX60 will be part of Volvo Cars’ second-gen EVs. Compared to the XC40 Recharge or EC40, it will have improved lithium-ion battery technology. Bell reiterated at the 2024 Capital Markets Day that the battery cells Volvo Cars will use in the SPA 3 platform-based EVs will have a higher density than the SPA2 EVs. Even lighter in count and fewer in number, they will deliver longer range, he added.
From SPA2 to SPA 3, Volvo targets another 25% reduction in pack cost per kWh, roughly 20% higher energy density, about 40% lower pack-level CO₂ footprint, and around 15% shorter DC charging times, with room to improve those figures further as the chemistry evolves.
LFP option
During a media interaction at Volvo’s U.S. headquarters (via InsideEVs), Bell confirmed that the EX60 will offer a second battery option. While he didn’t share details, the comment likely refers to cheaper LFP (lithium iron phosphate) cells, which have been widely adopted by automakers such as Tesla in global markets.
The EX60’s structural pack is built around a standardized large prismatic cell format, and at the Strategy Update 2025, Volvo confirmed that suppliers in different regions can deliver different chemistries as long as the cells fit within the fixed “blue box” envelope defined for SPA 3.
Up to 400 kW system power
Henrik Green, former Head of Global Advanced Technology & Sustainability, Volvo Cars, suggested that the Volvo EX60 could come with dual-motor powertrains that generate up to 400 kW (536 hp) of system power. Speaking to Recharge (mestmotor.se) in December 2021, Green said that the next-gen Volvo EVs coming from 2022 “will receive 400 kW (536 hp).”
350 kW charging power & ~350 miles range
At the 2024 Capital Markets Day, Jim Rowan said Volvo Cars’ new technologies will allow customers to add 200 km (124 miles) of range to its EVs in probably six minutes.
The EX60 will use an evolution of the 800V architecture that is offered in the ES90 sedan. Lower weight and reduced installation space for the cabling, higher performance, and faster charging are some of the main advantages of doubling the voltage. Likewise, we expect a range of 300-350 miles (EPA-est.) in the EX60.
Bell links the EX60’s improved range figures directly to the SPA 3 structural battery and the new thermal system, which he calls a key contributor to how the car can achieve its target range.
New thermal management system
SPA 3 introduces a third-generation thermal and HVAC system that Volvo says costs about 20% less than the EX90’s SPA2 setup, improves cooling capacity by roughly 50%, and lowers energy consumption by about 33%.
This system can pre-heat or pre-cool the pack more quickly for fast charging and keeps the cells in their optimal temperature window for durability, which allows Volvo to target a battery lifetime that outlasts the vehicle.
NACS charging port
In the U.S. and Canada, Volvo Cars will likely equip the EX60 with the NACS charging port, enabling customers to access more than 20,000 Tesla Superchargers across the two countries. Currently, these chargers provide an output of up to 250 kW. The EX60 should feature Plug & Charge as well, providing customers a more seamless experience.
V2L
Volvo Cars will offer bidirectional charging, as it does in the EX90, allowing customers to use their car’s battery pack as storage for energy. The V2L system comes in handy when running appliances, tools, and gadgets during camping or at the job site. Moreover, customers in markets with time-variable energy prices would be able to reduce their energy bills with bidirectional charging.
Exterior
The Volvo EX60 should feature a fresh type of design inspired by the much bigger Volvo Recharge Concept, as well as the EX30 and EX90. Sim LED lighting elements flank each side of the windshield and should offer a welcome and farewell light sequence, similar to the ES90.
The rear, as seen in the brief teaser from the ES90 reveal, features black embellishment around the rear windshield, a silver applique across the bumper, and reflector lamps on the corners. Unlike existing Volvo models, the brake light has a vertical orientation, cutting into the muscular fenders.
Interior
The Volvo EX60 will pack an infotainment platform based on Android. At the Volvo Cars Tech Moment event, Sanela Ibrovic, former Head of Connected Experience, Volvo Cars, shared the following highlights of the new infotainment platform:
- A large center touchscreen
- High-resolution driver information system
- Optional head-up display
- Simple user interface
- Easy-to-see information
- Responsive interaction
Every next-gen Volvo EV will run on the company’s own operating system called Volvo Cars.OS, an umbrella of various operating systems, across the car and the cloud. The Android Automotive OS powering the infotainment system will be a part of Volvo Cars.OS.
Volvo also confirms that the EX60 will use the same core computing architecture introduced on the EX90 and ES90, with one software track shared across key BEV and hybrid models to cut complexity and support faster updates.
As revealed during the Strategy Update 2025, all of these models, including the EX60, will receive four major over-the-air software releases per year from a single software master, with each release covering cars already on the road, cars in production, and cars still in development.
For EX60 owners, this means new features, improvements, and fixes will be developed once and rolled out across the fleet, with tighter integration into Apple and Google ecosystems and a more consistent user experience between different Volvo models.
Safety
If not the safest, the Volvo EX60 should be one of the best models in its segment for safety features. The company is expected to further develop its supervised autonomy functions with cameras and radars.
In-cabin cameras
Volvo Cars has left no stone unturned when it comes to safety and has developed new intelligence features for the interior of future models. It will likely offer its new driver understanding system that, using two in-cabin cameras, ensures the driver isn’t drowsy, distracted, intoxicated, or ill. Another safety highlight in the cabin of the EX60 could be the occupant sensing system that uses an interior radar system to ensure a child or pet doesn’t get left behind.
Multi-adaptive safety belt
Volvo has confirmed that the EX60 will debut the world’s first multi-adaptive safety belt. It uses data from exterior and interior sensors to adjust belt tension based on crash severity and individual body profiles. With 11 load-limiting profiles, it optimizes protection for different occupants and scenarios. The system also improves via over-the-air updates.
Release Date
Volvo Cars confirmed that the EX60 will debut on January 21, 2026. While that may be the debut or the global launch, we expect the U.S. entry during the second half of 2026. The updated Tesla Model Y, the next-gen Mercedes GLC Electric, the facelifted Audi Q4 e-tron, the next-gen BMW iX3, and the Lexus RZ will rival the Volvo EX60.
Hakan Samuelsson, CEO and President of Volvo Cars, in his opening remarks during the Q2 2025 earnings call on July 17, 2025, said that the EX60 “will be our best seller,” indicating the importance of this launch.
Manufacturing
Volvo Cars will manufacture the EX60 at its factory in Gothenburg, Sweden, beginning in the first half of 2026. The company will use megacasting technology, with large aluminum cast parts replacing in some cases more than 100 smaller parts.
Megacasting
“Landed cost for a mega cast structure is up to 35% below a steel-aluminum structure,” Volvo Cars Chief Supply Chain Officer Francesca Gamboni said at the 2024 Capital Markets Day.
Mikael Fermér, Volvo’s vehicle platform architect, highlighted to Autocar UK that megacasting allows for more precise vehicle sculpting, potentially lowering the seating by up to 15 mm, which improves aerodynamics and range.
This method not only offers design flexibility across different body styles but also promotes environmental sustainability through 100% material utilization, recycling cut-out parts back into the production cycle, similar to Tesla’s Model Y approach.
Cost & weight advantages
Rear-floor megacasting on SPA 3 consolidates roughly 100 separate parts into a single large aluminum casting, and Volvo says this can cut the cost of the rear floor by around 35% compared to a conventional steel and aluminum assembly.
As per Auto Express, Volvo Cars claims that the new rear floor for its vehicles, produced using megacasting, weighs 15-20% less than a traditional stamped equivalent. Despite the reduced weight, it offers safety and durability that are just as good, if not better, than traditional methods.
XC60 to continue
Meanwhile, the regular Volvo XC60 will live on with periodic updates, in partially electrified variants. Volvo won’t stop producing the XC60 hybrid as demand for the Recharge variant is increasing, and the company plans to add production volume for the SUV in the U.S. from late 2026.
Also See: BMW iX3 vs Mercedes GLC Electric: How the next-gen EVs compare
Volvo EX60 FAQs
What is the Volvo EX60’s release date?
The Volvo EX60 will debut in Jan 2026, positioned above the EX40.
Which models would you consider the EX60’s rivals?
Next-gen Mercedes GLC Electric, new BMW iX3 & Audi Q4 e-tron.
Do you have an idea of the Volvo EX60’s price?
The EX60 range is expected to come at between USD 60,000-70,000.
Featured Image: TopElectricSUV’s rendition of the Volvo EX60
A Mechanical Engineer by qualification, I started out as an automotive editor of a regional magazine in 2011. In my 11 years of experience in creating automotive content, I’ve traveled around the world to review, analyze and report on the world’s top electrified cars.
