Volvo’s 13-Car Plan — Design Studio Explores the New Range

Volvo has changed dramatically under Geely ownership. What was already a respected premium brand has gained the investment, technology and global scale needed to compete far more directly with the likes of BMW and Mercedes-Benz. That is a significant shift from the Ford era, when Volvo produced some excellent cars but often operated with older platforms, tighter investment and a smaller product footprint than its German rivals.
Today, Volvo has access to a much broader pool of technology while retaining a remarkably distinct identity of its own. Its next challenge is expansion. With new platforms offering far greater flexibility, and an ambitious product plan taking shape, TNY Design Studio explores what Volvo could do beyond its increasingly SUV-led range — from a new generation of estates and saloons to something considerably bigger.

Volvo’s SUV range is already one of the most complete it has ever offered, stretching from the compact EX30 through to the new flagship EX90 and family-friendly XC90. And there is considerably more to come: Volvo recently outlined a 13-model product offensive, with seven new or substantially updated models planned for Europe.

Volvo has not revealed what all of those cars will be, leaving plenty of room for speculation over how broadly its next generation of models could expand.

The EX60 shows just how far EV technology has progressed. Built around the new SPA3 architecture, its 800V electrical system supports rapid charging, while the longest-range P12 version offers up to 503 miles of WLTP range — the longest of any Volvo yet. 

It leaves Volvo with an increasingly convincing electric SUV ladder. But with SUVs now dominating its line-up, could one of Volvo’s greatest traditional strengths be getting left behind? (Image Credit: Volvo Cars)

Estates have been central to Volvo’s identity for generations. From the boxy 240 and 740 through the 850 and V70, and later the V60 and V90, Volvo built much of its reputation around cars that combined huge practicality with understated Scandinavian design. Yet as buyers have moved towards SUVs, that once-defining part of the range has steadily diminished.

The new SPA3 architecture could provide an opportunity to change that. Volvo has specifically talked about the platform supporting different sizes and even “low-roof” cars.

That is not confirmation that a new electric estate is coming, but it removes one of the biggest technical questions. If SPA3 can underpin something substantially lower than the EX60, an electric successor to the V60 suddenly becomes much easier to imagine.

A “low-roof” SPA3 model would not necessarily have to be an estate. Volvo could also use the architecture for an ES60, giving it a smaller electric saloon beneath the ES90 and a more direct alternative to the next generation of electric BMW 3 Series.

Our rendering imagines exactly that: a lower, sportier Volvo that carries the clean design language of the ES90 into a more compact package. It could give Volvo a genuinely different proposition from the EX60, while filling a sizeable gap between its smaller models and the large ES90.

Volvo has experimented here before, even creating the unusual raised S60 Cross Country in 2015. We wouldn’t expect an ES60 Cross Country revival, but the standard saloon could make considerably more sense as Volvo broadens its electric range.

An estate does not necessarily have to remain low-slung, either. Volvo has been combining estate-car practicality with additional ride height and rugged styling since the original V70 Cross Country arrived in 1997, creating a formula that has since become an important part of the brand.

An EV60 Cross Country could revive that idea for the electric era. Raised suspension, protective bodywork and all-wheel drive could give buyers much of the visual appeal and capability of an SUV, while retaining the lower roofline, efficiency and long load area of an estate. It could also help Volvo justify an electric estate commercially by broadening its potential audience.

Our ES100 rendering explores what that upper extreme could look like: a large, luxurious electric saloon positioned against cars such as the BMW i7 and Mercedes EQS, with Scandinavian design offering a deliberately different take on the traditional flagship.

Whether Volvo actually needs such a car is another question. Polestar is simultaneously expanding its premium EV range, with the Polestar 5 acting as its performance and luxury halo model. An ES100 could therefore create some overlap — making Volvo’s references to going beyond today’s EX90-sized models all the more intriguing.

The same thinking could also produce a larger SUV. Our EX100 rendering imagines Volvo stretching the formula beyond the EX90, creating something longer, more spacious and considerably more luxurious — a Scandinavian alternative to the Mercedes GLS.

Rather than simply making another three-row family SUV, the emphasis could shift towards outright luxury. A longer wheelbase could provide significantly more space for second- and third-row passengers, while Volvo’s latest EV technology, minimalist interiors and emphasis on comfort would suit this end of the market particularly well.

It would be a considerable step upwards for Volvo, but if the flexibility is already being engineered into its next-generation architecture, an EX100 provides an interesting glimpse at how the brand could use it.

Ultimately, the most interesting part of Volvo’s 13-car product offensive may not be the possibility of enormous new flagships at all. The ES100 and EX100 show how far Volvo could theoretically stretch its new technology, but the greater opportunity could be using that flexibility to broaden the range closer to its existing core.

SUVs will undoubtedly remain central to Volvo’s future, and models such as the EX30, EX60 and EX90 give it a strong foundation. But that does not mean every new Volvo needs to follow the same formula.

An ES60 could restore a smaller premium saloon, while an EV60 could bring the electric estate into one of the segments where Volvo has historically been strongest. Add an EV60 Cross Country, and Volvo could even bridge the gap between its estate heritage and today’s appetite for SUVs.

For a brand entering another period of expansion, becoming broader again could be just as important as becoming bigger.