Just two weeks on from its launch in Thailand, the Volvo ES90 has now made its way over here, as these images from reader Ian Lim show. The electric sedan was sighted near Volvo Car Malaysia’s (VCM) headquarters in Section 13, Petaling Jaya, and while the car was still cloaked in delivery covers, the three box shape and the outline of the C-shaped taillights left little doubt as to its identity.
Based on the same second-generation Scalable Product Architecture (SPA2) platform as the EX90, the ES90 will compete against the likes of the BMW i5 and Mercedes-Benz EQE. It’s set to arrive next year in CKD locally-assembled form (built at VCM’s historic Shah Alam plant) alongside the EX30 and EX90, forming the widest range of CKD EVs in the country.
Volvo calls the car an amalgamation between a sedan, a fastback and an SUV. To that end, the replacement for the more conventional S90 four-door sports a tailgate and a higher-than-usual ground clearance of 178 mm. It also has unusually short overhangs – a result of the generous 3,102 mm wheelbase – that make the ES90 look more compact than it actually is (exactly five metres long).
This impression is heightened by the sharp lines, clean and tight surfacing, massive 22-inch wheels (seen here) and the dramatically cut-off tail, which houses the distinctive dual-tier taillights (the upper units frame the rear windscreen). Over at the front, you get a minimalist grille-less design, large “Thor’s Hammer” headlights and a protruding lidar sensor module that makes the car look a bit like a taxi.
Inside, the ES90 continues with the template set by the EX90, with a minimalist cabin dominated by a 14.5-inch portrait touchscreen, sitting atop a literal pedestal. This runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor with an Android Automotive-based OS and Google service built in, plus wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Meanwhile, a nine-inch digital instrument display is mounted ahead of the driver.
As per its crossover siblings, the ES90 has faced criticism over the limited amount of physical buttons and controls, with even the driver’s door window switches reduced from four to two. Still, Volvo has wisely chosen to retain some of its hallmark features, such as a Bowers & Wilkins sound system that now features 25 speakers and 1,610 watts of power.
Power comes from a single rear motor producing 333 PS (245 kW) and 480 Nm of torque, getting the ES90 from zero to 100 km/h in 6.6 seconds. A 92 kWh nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) battery delivers a range of up to 650 km on the WLTP cycle.
The long range Twin Motor variant bumps the output figures to 449 PS (330 kW) and 670 Nm – taking more than a second out of the century sprint at 5.5 seconds – while a 106 kWh battery boosts range to 700 km. The most potent is the Twin Motor Performance that pushes out a whopping 680 PS (500 kW) and 870 Nm, providing the quickest zero-to-100 km/h time (four seconds) while maintaining the same range.
The ES90 also benefits from an 800-volt architecture that enables a DC fast charging input of up to 300 kW for the base model and 350 kW for the Twin Motor versions; both can be topped up from 10 to 80% in 20 minutes. This high charging capacity will be extended to the EX90 once CKD production starts, VCM confirmed. Unfortunately, the car is also capped to an AC charging rate of only 11 kW, so a full charge takes eight hours with the 92 kWh battery and ten hours with the 106 kWh pack.
In Thailand, the ES90 is only available in single-motor RWD form with the top Ultra trim, costing 2.99 million baht (RM385,100). It has been confirmed to us that Malaysia will get the same variant in “more or less the same specs” as our neighbour, with a major difference being where it’s assembled: ours will be locally assembled in Shah Alam, compared to Thailand’s CBU China car.
An early-2026 timeframe has also been confirmed – perfect timing considering the CBU EV tax holiday will end on December 31, 2025. By going the CKD route, will the Volvo ES90 enjoy a big price advantage over its still-CBU rivals like the BMW i5 and Mercedes-Benz EQE next year? Time will tell.
GALLERY: Volvo ES90 Ultra RWD in Thailand
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i saw reviewers literally squatting at the back seat coz the floor is sibeh high, its even worse than persona elegance days
from pictures the rear headrests almost touched the roof. looks like terrible interior packaging
Volvo has a manufacturer in Malaysia, why not bring out all spec options. I want the performance spec come on.
if want performance , zeekr 7x already offers 600bhp for RM200k .
I prefer the design of es90 over 7x, since my wife is getting the 7x.