Volvo is having a hard time wrapping up production on the “safest vehicle it has ever produced,” leading to the company announcing that it’s pushing back the launch of its highly anticipated EX90 electric SUV by nearly half a year.
The all-new Volvo EX90 is a high-end vehicle from the Swedish automaker, delivering the latest technology available inside and out. The 3-row family hauler is the biggest SUV from Volvo yet, deemed its safest model, and packs tons of range, performance, and safe-driving technology.
Following theglobal unveilingand official announcement in November of 2022, Volvo revealed in May that it was pushing production until early 2024. And while that would be fine, that isn’t the only delay the company faces. According toAutomotiveNews, during an earnings report this week, CEO Jim Rowan confirmed another delay of anywhere from five to six months.
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Considering production was already pushed back to early next year, now it sounds like the fancy new Volvo EX90 won’t arrive until the end of 2024 after production hopefully starts that summer.
So, why the delay? Along with a massive 14.5-inch infotainment display, 300-mile range, a sizeable 110 kWh battery, and tons of power, the EX90 is loaded with safety sensors, cameras, and LiDAR throughout. That last one is the problem.
The EX90 is Volvo’s first vehicle with LiDAR (light detection and radar) sensors and cameras, and the software stack it’ll use to take advantage of that system is quite complex. Additionally, the EX90 packs eight cameras, five different radar systems, over a dozen ultrasonic sensors, long-range LiDAR, and more, all of which talk to each other in real-time to help make it one of the safest vehicles around.
As you can imagine, the software that goes into that type of project is no small task. As a result, the company has elected to push back and delay production by another five or six months as it perfects the system.
While this isn’t good news for those already pre-ordered, it’s a sign that Volvo wants to get things right the first time. However, it also makes me wonder if thesmaller Volvo EX30could face a similar delay, even though it’s a far more affordable model without as many safety sensors. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
viaElectrek