A new direction for Volvo? Why the 2024 Volvo EM90 electric people mover represents a monumental shift for the brand as it looks to rival the Lexus LM

Volvo has released a single image and short video teaser of its first ever people mover, the fully electric EM90.

This latest model represents a big shift for the brand, towards an even more family-friendly comfort-centric space, which it aims to occupy, allowing room for its Polestar sister brand to shine in the performance realm.

The teaser indicates that the EM90 will be revealed on November 12, and comes as little surprise as the Volvo people mover had been spotted under camouflage in the wild several months prior. It also follows comments by Volvo Australia boss Stephen Connor, who promised Volvo would not go SUV-only as part of its roll-out of five new EVs by 2026.

The other major shift is that this Volvo marks the first time the brand will adopt a body structure from its Geely parent company, as the EM90 looks to be Volvo’s version of the already-released Zeekr 009 people mover from Geely’s premium electric marque.

While Volvo has offered precious little information aside from the single top-down image where we can spy an illuminated Volvo badge, aggressive squared-off styling with pixel rear light fittings, a dual-sunroof, and captain's chairs in the middle, we can assume more about the model from its Geely relation.

The Zeekr 009 rides on the group’s shared SEA electric architecture, measuring in at 5209mm long, 2024mm wide, and 1848mm tall. It has a dual-motor all-wheel-drive system with some 400kW/686Nm in its home market, with a 0-100km/h sprint time of just 4.5 seconds.

Volvo has offered precious little information aside from a single top-down image.

Battery packs come in at a massive 116kWh and 140kWh, allowing for a driving range (according to the Chinese testing procedure) of 702km or 822km.

Inside, the Zeekr 009 features a huge landscape-oriented touch screen and digital instrument cluster, and while it gets its own software and steering wheel, sleuths might spot the Volvo hardware used for indicator stalks. On the outside you’ll spot the same layout for the dual sunroof as the EM90 teaser, as well as a matching window line to camouflaged cars spotted in the wild.

Don’t expect Volvo’s first people mover to come cheap either. If the huge battery packs weren’t enough of a warning, its Zeekr 009 relation starts from the equivalent of AUD$107,000 in China stretching up to AUD$126,000 for the long-range version.

Rivals in Australia will include the fully electric LDV Mifa 9 (from $104,000) and Mercedes-Benz e-Vito Tourer (from $116,115), although as far as luxury vans go, the hybrid Lexus LM (from $160,888) also represents a threat.

We expect to know more at the EM90’s reveal in November, but for now Volvo Australia has been contacted for comment on whether it expects a right-hand-drive version to head Down Under in the future.

For those counting, the EM90 is new electric Volvo number three in the brand’s plan (not including the already-released XC40 and C40), which includes the EX90 large SUV and EX30 small SUV. We can also expect a replacement for the XC60 mid-sizer at some point, giving us a fourth EV, leaving one mystery model left before 2026.