Volvo XC90 replacement debuting on 9 November as EX90

Volvo’s eagerly awaited replacement for the XC90, rumoured to have been called EXC90, has been confirmed for unveiling on 9 November as the newly officially titled EX90.

On the track to become one of the most advanced models the Swedish automaker has ever made, the EX90 will debut not only the new Scalable Production Architecture (SPA) platform called SPA2, but feature a battery centric drivetrain not expected to include an internal combustion engine as it prepares for an all-electric future before 2030.

Aside from replacing the current XC90 T8 Recharge as the most powerful production Volvo ever made, the EX90 will also premiere the marque’s innovative new LiDAR autonomous driving system.

Consisting out of 16 ultrasonic sensors, eight cameras, five radars and Volvo’s latest in-house developed software, the system can detect pedestrians 250 metres away and, according to the brand, objects as small as tyres on a completely darkened road 120 metres away at full speed.

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Mounted inside protruding from the roof in a likely similar way to Subaru’s EyeSight system, the still-to-be-named LiDAR will work in conjunction with the EX90’s steering inputs and adapt to the driver’s behaviour using a pair of cameras monitoring his/her eyesight and taking “appropriate action” when a warning sound is misheard or not reacted upon.

“We believe the EX90 to be the safest Volvo car to ever hit the road. We are fusing our understanding of the outside environment with our more detailed understanding of driver attention,” Volvo Cars’ Head of Safe Vehicle Automation, Joachim de Verdier, said in a statement.

“When all our safety systems, sensors, software and computing power come together, they create a preventative shield of safety around you – and you won’t even know it’s there until you need it.”

Uncovered in a series of patent images last month, the EX90 will enter production in the fourth quarter of next year, though expect more details to be become apparent leading up to its confirmed premiere in November.