Just days out from its reveal on Wednesday, the all-new Volvo EX60 has been scooped in the buff, showing the XC60 replacement’s front three-quarter design in full. These images of the electric compact executive SUV, sighted on Reddit, were apparently mistakenly uploaded onto a Norwegian newspaper’s website ahead of time.
It looks like Volvo is pursuing a “Russian doll” design language, because the EX60 sports some obvious design cues from Sweden’s other new models – most notably, the also-new XC70. This includes the split LED headlight setup, as unlike the EX90, the “Thor’s Hammer” daytime running lights do not pop open to reveal the main lamps, so they have to be positioned lower down.
The downturned air intake, sitting below the grille-less front fascia (still sporting the diagonal chrome strip and “Iron Mark”), is another cue lifted from the XC70. Along the side, the flanks are chiselled in a similar fashion and the window line features the same upwards flick to meet the D-pillars.
However, the EX60 does appear to possess a sleeker profile, with a lower-slung roofline and a seemingly lower bonnet, the latter as a result of not having to house an engine underneath. This accentuates the front fender haunches, which appear more muscular than on other models.
A few things of note here – firstly, Volvo looks set to ditch conventional door handles and even flush pop-out ones, in favour of little tabs on the waist rail akin to the Ford Mustang Mach-E. Hopefully, unlike that car, these are mechanical pull tabs that would help satisfy stricter Chinese door handle regulations.
Secondly, as per the EX30, the EX60 is expected to receive a more rugged Cross Country trim. One of the photos show a different front bumper with a boxier bumper profile, a more prominent silver skid plate and a blacked-out section between the main lamps and the centre intake.
There are no images of the rear end, but we already have a good idea of what the rump looks like thanks to teaser images released last week – in fact, the back of the EX60 was shown all the way back during the reveal of the ES90 last year. Departing from cars like the EX90 and ES90, the angular upper and lower taillights on this model are joined together to highlight the strong shoulders, much like Volvos of the past. There’s also a clean tailgate design prominently showcasing the Volvo script.
Volvo has also revealed that the EX60 will support Google’s Gemini generative AI – as expected from a car that’ll have Mountain View’s services built in. But the most impressive feature is the powertrain, which delivers a segment-leading 810 km of WLTP-rated range and 400 kW of DC fast charging thanks to an 800-volt electrical architecture, the latter providing 350 km of range with just ten minutes of charging.
Built on a brand-new, third-generation Scalable Product Architecture (SPA3), the EX60 features cell-to-body (CTB) construction to increase efficiency and reduce weight, with a new cell design contributing to the very long range. Further cutting weight is a “mega casting” that combines hundreds of smaller parts into a single large pressing, similar to Tesla’s “gigacasting” process.
The Volvo EX60 is set to be offered in Malaysia, and with CKD local assembly at the Shah Alam plant, it should benefit from the EV tax breaks now discontinued for CBU fully-imported models. Are you excited? Let us know in the comments.
GALLERY: Volvo EX60 teasers
The post Volvo EX60 leaked ahead of Jan 21 reveal – EV SUV with 810 km range, 800-volt DC fast charging appeared first on Paul Tan’s Automotive News.
