• Volvo will introduce its EX90 on November 9.
• The EX90 is the all-electric successor to the current XC90.
• The EX90's interior, we can now see, contains no physical buttons.
As reflected in the numerous teasers it has shared in recent weeks, Volvo is set to unveil a new model on November 9th. The EX90 is the electric successor to the XC90, which sits atop the brand's model range. In this latest set of images, Volvo shows what the dashboard looks like.
Most notably, a look at the images reveals the absence of buttons. It is, by far, the most uncluttered dashboard on the market. There's a dash with a steering wheel, an air vent that spans the width of the vehicle (number of openings to be confirmed) and two screens (on the instrument panel and the centre console), but no buttons.
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Everything else related to Volvo's current interiors is thrown out, including the (already few) buttons on the centre console. The presentation is similar to what we recently saw with the upcoming Polestar 3. This is no coincidence, as both vehicles will be based on the same platform and built in the same factory in the US.
Everything about the physical design of the cabin and the technologies it harbours is guided a minimalist philosophy. It will surely have its proponents and detractors. Volvo says the car will be aware of everything that's going on inside and out, so it can offer contextual menus.
For example, if the temperature is cold, touch controls for the climate control and heated seats and steering wheel will appear on the screen. In a driving situation, a bar at the bottom of the screen could show you what multimedia content is playing. Thomas Stovicek, Volvo's head of user experience, explains:
“Since the car also understands its surroundings and you better than ever before, we can create an even safer situation by reducing mode confusion, distraction and information overload.”
- Thomas Stovicek, Volvo
We understand the idea behind it, and we wish it could happen that way. However, our experiences with vehicles with more touch commands than actual buttons have all confirmed that it increases distraction. Also, the fact that the vehicle thinks for us by suggesting menus may irritate some.
The future will tell us whether the EX90’s system swims or sinks in real-world use…
