Another electric Volvo SUV? Teaser image reveals a new sub-EX90 model for 2023

The reveal of Volvo’s new flagship EV, the EX90 SUV, included a little surprise for Volvo fans.

During the online reveal of the seven-seat EX90, Volvo CEO Jim Rowan told viewers to stay tuned to the final video to catch a glimpse of something else beyond the EX90.

He wasn’t fibbing either. In a frame towards the end, under a massive ‘2023’ lit up in a screen behind, you can see the darkened silhouette of the EX90, and parked in front of it is a smaller SUV model.

Mr Rowan didn’t divulge any more details, simply saying, “that is for another day.”

The shadowy pic shows an SUV that is clearly smaller than the EX90 - which will eventually replace the petrol-powered XC90 - but not as small as the current XC40 and the related all-electric C40 crossover that just launched this month.

The mystery model is expected to be a mid-size electric SUV that will eventually replace the XC60, and, given Volvo’s current naming structure, could be dubbed EX60.

Reports from earlier this year stated that Volvo was planning an electric SUV to slot in between the XC60 and XC90. If it doesn’t sit alongside the XC60 size wise, it could fit into the space between it and the 90 and could take a different moniker, like EX70.

The freshly revealed EX90.

Another possibility is that Volvo continues the theme that it’s already started with the XC40 and its coupe-style C40 twin. That could mean a swoopier mid-size electric SUV model sitting above the C40.

Whatever form it takes, it could well face tough competition from the likes of the Tesla Model Y, Mercedes-Benz EQC and EQB, Genesis GV60 and BMW iX3.

It’s likely to be underpinned by Volvo’s SPA2 dedicated EV platform that also underpins the EX90.

The Chinese-owned Swedish car maker has ramped up its commitment to electrify its model range, announcing recently that it will transition to a completely electric brand in Australia by 2026 - four years ahead of its global target.