Over 2m post-2020 Volvos to get EX60’s new infotainment system

Volvo is preparing to roll out the largest over-the-air update ‘in the history of the world’ when it installs its new infotainment interface in 2.5 million cars globally.

The elegible cars will be those fitted with Volvo’s Android Automotive operating system, which arrived in 2020 with the EX40, which was then known as the XC40 Recharge.

This means that each one will get the new Volvo Car UX (user experience) featured in the EX30, EX90, and the recently-launched EX60, meaning a car in its sixth year will have the same displays as the latest models.

Volvo chief technology officer Anders Bell told reporters that the update is “in the final stages of testing validation” and will be introduced in the coming months.

The thinking behind the new interface is to bring older models up to date, meaning they stay “in date” longer than previously.

Moreover, Volvo considers the update one of the most significant in the automotive landscape, as the Swedish carmaker operates in more countries than Tesla, which regularly performs over-the-air software updates across its range of vehicles.

“We’re going to deploy that back to those cars to give them a necessary, very nice upgrade of the owner’s interaction experience with the car,” Bell commented.

While the updated cars will largely have the same infotainment visuals as later Volvos, some slight differences will remain due to the older vehicles’ older processing chips and smaller infotainment screens.

Following a mixed start to its electrification journey, the launch of the EX60 marks a back-to-basics, innovative approach for Volvo. With its 503-mile range, the mid-sized, all-electric SUV boasts the longest range of any EV on sale today, and is the first Volvo to be built using megacasting to save weight.

Unlike the EX30 and EX90, it will also be built at its Torslanda factory in Sweden, which has been manufacturing cars since the 1960s.