Volvo Denies EM90 Minivan For America After PHEV Patent Surfaces

- EM90 patent images in America reveal a surprising dual-flap design.
- Chinese-market MPV is fully electric while US filing suggests hybrid.
- Volvo denies any intention to sell the EM90 minivan in America.
Rumors of the Volvo EM90 minivan launching in the United States have kicked into overdrive after the company made a recent filing with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Not only that, but the vehicle depicted in the patent images appears to be a plug-in hybrid, while the EM90 introduced in China is all-electric.
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Car and Driver spotted the filings and noted that the the Volvo EM90βs design is nearly identical to its Chinese counterpart, save for one detail that stands out. While the EV wears its charging port on the left rear quarter, the U.S. patent drawings add an extra flap on the right rear side.
Whatβs Behind The Extra Flap?
That second hatch led to speculation that the model in question could be hiding a fuel filler, keeping the charging port in its original place and thereby creating a plug-in hybrid setup. On the other hand, several manufacturers, Audi among them, have opted for dual charging ports on their electric models to make public charging easier. With that in mind, Volvo could just as easily be following a similar path with the EM90.
Volvoβs Hybrid Plans
The emergence of this patent prompted suggestions that a plug-in hybrid EM90 could be the new hybrid Volvo has been promising to build at its Charleston factory in South Carolina. However, in a statement issued in response to the original story, Volvo denied any plans of selling the EM90 in the US and downplayed the possibility of it being the hybrid to be built in the US.
β[Volvo does] not have any plans to bring EM90 to the U.S. [Volvo] will share more details about the future hybrid to come to our Charleston plant at a later date,β the automaker said.
Of course, this begs the question as to why Volvo went to the trouble of patenting the vehicle in the US if it has no intention of selling it locally? It may have done so on the off chance that it reconsiders and decides to sell the EM90 in the United States.