- Kiwi EX60 business case is 'strong' says Volvo.
- Premium SUV segment is half EV in NZ.
- Volvo now the fastest growing premium-SUV brand in NZ.
New Zealand will be one of the first right-hand drive markets to get the Volvo EX60, thanks to our country's enthusiasm for electric vehicles in its market segment.
Yes, you read that right. While battery electric vehicles (BEVs, or pure electric) still only account for 6.5% of overall NZ registrations, the premium medium-SUV segment is 50% BEV - and likely to grow in 2026 as fuel prices rise.
That's the hunting ground for the new EX60, a groundbreaking Volvo model that's claimed to offer up to 810km range and super-fast charging thanks to 800-volt architecture: maximum rate a truly impressive 400kW (faster than the fastest DC-charge stations currently available in NZ).
According to Volvo NZ brand manager Daile Stephens, we'd normally have to wait a year for a new model like this from Europe.
But NZ has been moved up the list thanks to the strength of BEV sales in the the EX60's segment: "We've had a very strong business case [to] put forward, which is why we’ve been able to secure it for this year rather than next, which is when we’d typically have had to wait for it.
"Because 50% of the D SUV premium segment is electric, that shows Volvo that [NZ] is a really great opportunity to be one of the first smaller markets to bring the EX60 in."
The EX60 is an all-new BEV based on Volvo's SPA3 platform and will be a sister model to the XC60, which will continue in NZ with hybrid powertrains.
EX60 comes in rear-drive and dual-motor AWD models, with a more rugged-looking Cross Country model also in the mix.
The top P12 version boasts 500kW and can hit 100km/h in 3.8 seconds.
Volvo NZ is yet to settle on local specification, pricing and timing, but Stephens says "an AWD SUV is what we need here. That’s the priority for NZ". The hope is for a November introduction.
Volvo will surely be eyeing the BMW iX3 Neue Klasse, another new-tech premium SUV that will be the Volvo's closest rival (also with 800km-plus range). BMW NZ has already announced a $125,900 price for the xDrive50 variant, to be launched mid-year.
Meanwhile, Volvo is on a roll (get it?) generally in NZ. While it's stil working from a small base - 533 sales in 2025 compared to other luxury brands like Mercedes-Benz (2435), BMW (1786), Lexus (1455) and Audi (1303) - in percentage terms it's on a fast-track.
“Last year saw a volume recovery, says Stephens. "We had been declining since 2022, but had over a 40% increase year-on-year from 2024 to 2025. Nearly 60% of that volume was XC60 and XC90.
"We are now the fastest growing premium-segment SUV [brand] in market this year."
“With our sales growth of 45% year to date [2026], growth is no longer our aspiration, it’s our trajectory.”
The brand has just launched its new flagship model, the EX90 BEV (a sister SUV to the XC90), and also has a new XC60 variant, the T8 Black Edition.
First vehicles arrive next week. It's a "visually distinctive" version of the XC60 T8 plug-in hybrid, with blacked-out detailing and wheels. It's $3000 more than the standard XC60 T8 and comes in black, white, blue and grey. There are 40 examples on the way.