Volvo XC90 succeeding flagship EV launch on track for late 2022: Volvo CEO

Volvo is planning to launch the all-electric successor of the XC90 flagship SUV as planned, confirmed the Swedish luxury car manufacturer's CEO Jim Rowan, reports Autocar UK. The report claims that despite the dramatic dip in Volvo's profits in the first quarter of 2022 in the light of the supply chain crisis, rising raw material costs and factory shutdown, the automaker is very much on track to launch its flagship electric car in late 2022.

Speaking about the launch strategy, Rowan said that the company is very much on track. “We've made commitments that we would be launching a certain amount of vehicles every year, and we'll make the decision on when we release that, but the fourth quarter this year is when we will release more details on that product," he further added.

The report also claims that Volvo remains committed to rapidly ramping up its electrification plans. Volvo aims to become a major player in the global electric car market with an aim to sell 600,000 every year from 2025.

Speaking about the upcoming flagship electric SUV from the brand, it would is expected to arrive as a totally bespoke model based on a new platform called SPA2, which is dedicated to EVs. It could be named Embla, as a recent filing suggests. This would be a step back aside from the automaker's strategy to name its vehicles with alphanumeric characters. This also marks a new trend for the automaker as it aims to shift its naming strategy for future models centred around the Scandinavian heritage.

Volvo already showcased a production-ready version of the bold Concept Recharge shown in 2021. Expect the production version to be the much-awaited XC90 succeeding Embla. This car would provide Volvo with a long-awaited entry into the increasingly important full-sized electric SUV segment.