Volvo will add a second model on its new SPA3 electric platform, a more affordable SUV positioned below the EX60 and aimed at a lower-priced segment of the European market, with deliveries expected to begin after the summer of 2027. The car is widely expected to succeed the ageing EX40 electric crossover and to compete with the Skoda Elroq and Ford Explorer.
Volvo has not published prices for the new model. The EX60 it will sit beneath starts at £57,000 and runs to £70,000, while the current EX40 EV starts at £44,000, which frames where the new car is likely to land.
A volume model on a bespoke electric platform
The new car is one of 13 models Volvo plans to launch globally by 2030, and it will be designed and engineered primarily for Europe under the company's regionalised product development strategy. Volvo has said a second, higher-volume SPA3 model will help it recoup the development and production costs of the bespoke platform, a priority as it works toward an 8% profit margin.
The SPA3 architecture can span vehicles from the 4.2m EX30 to the 5.0m EX90, and its battery cells can be rearranged within the floorpan to suit different body shapes. It also introduces a cell-to-body battery design, megacasting production that cuts the number of individual parts, and new-generation drivetrain hardware intended to improve efficiency and dynamics.
What it might share with the EX60
Volvo has not confirmed technical details for the second SPA3 car. If it matches the EX40's size it would be roughly 300mm shorter than the EX60, which makes the larger car's 112kWh flagship battery (over 500 miles of range) unlikely to fit. The mid-range 91kWh pack could potentially be accommodated, which would give a range of more than 410 miles and 370kW fast charging.
Those range figures are quoted on the same cycle Volvo uses for the EX60, so they are not directly comparable with EPA or CLTC numbers published for cars in other markets.
Why the launch matters for Volvo
Volvo is still ramping up the EX60, the electric equivalent of its best-selling XC60, six months after launch. The company says the model is taking longer than planned to reach full output because of the complexity of its new technology and construction, and CEO Håkan Samuelsson has warned that its financial contribution will be delayed.
Volvo has taken more than 50,000 orders for the EX60 but built only 5,000 units since production began in April. Getting the cheaper SPA3 model into volume production faster than the EX60 is therefore central to the plan, and the price gap between the two will decide whether Volvo can pull buyers away from the Elroq and Explorer.
What is still unknown
Volvo has not named the new model, confirmed its body style or announced prices. The company has previously said its European line-up will eventually include new low and high body types, hinting at a return to saloons and estates, but the volume focus of this car makes an SUV more likely given the region's preference for taller vehicles.
The ICE-powered XC40 is expected to stay on sale on the CMA platform alongside the new electric model. Volvo is also developing a flagship SUV for the US on the XC90's SPA2 platform and six China-specific models using Geely modular architecture.
