Volvo launches EX90 in Korea, targets 2,000 annual sales

Volvo Car Korea CEO Lee Yoon-mo, right, and Erik Severinson, the carmaker's chief commercial officer, pose with the EX90 flagship SUV at Inspire Entertainment Resort on Incheon’s Yeongjong Island, Wednesday. Courtesy of Volvo Car Korea

YEONGJONG ISLAND, Incheon — Volvo Car Korea has launched its premium full-size electric SUV, the EX90, with an ambitious goal of reaching annual sales of 2,000 vehicles, the carmaker said Wednesday.

Describing the EX90 as the culmination of Volvo’s design philosophy, safety heritage and advanced technologies, the carmaker said it introduces a new paradigm in which core vehicle functions are integrated through software.

Volvo Car Korea said the next-generation flagship all-electric vehicle embodies the Swedish carmaker’s transition toward software-defined vehicles (SDVs).

“We would like to define the EX90 as Volvo Car Korea’s safest model ever sold in history,” Volvo Car Korea CEO Lee Yoon-mo told reporters during a media event.

“The vehicle will start its delivery to customers from the third quarter, and our initial EX90 sales target this year is 500 units. We also set the vehicle’s full-year sales target at more than 2,000.”

Volvo Car Korea's EX90 electric SUV / Courtesy of Volvo Car Korea

At the heart of the EX90 is Volvo’s proprietary “Hugin Core” system, under which the vehicle processes data in real time by utilizing advanced sensors attached to the vehicle's interior and exterior.

The platform enables the vehicle to enhance safety and driver assistance features. Over-the-air updates further allow the EX90 to continuously improve, effectively functioning as what the carmaker calls a “smartphone on wheels.”

Volvo Car Korea also highlighted the outstanding safety features embedded in the vehicle. The SUV has adopted its “safe space technology” by incorporating five cameras, five radars and 12 ultrasonic sensors.

Also built with an enhanced safety cage using lightweight aluminum and ultra-high-strength steel, the EX90 has improved torsional rigidity by 50 percent and collision energy absorption by 20 percent, compared with the XC90, the carmaker said.

The price for the EX90 starts from 106.2 million won ($70,400), which the carmaker said is "highly reasonable and competitive," as the figure is more than 10 percent cheaper than its rival models in the similar segment. The rivals include BMW iX and Mercedes-Benz EQS.

Volvo Car Korea's EV90 electric SUV / Courtesy of Volvo Car Korea

The EX90 is equipped with a 106 kilowatt-hour battery. The EX90 Twin Motor Performance version is capable of reaching 100 kilometers per hour in only 4.2 seconds — powered by its strong output of up to 680 horsepower.

The vehicle’s 800-volt battery system enables fast charging from 10 percent to 80 percent in merely 22 minutes. The vehicle’s maximum range is 625 kilometers on a single charge.