First look at ‘substantially updated’ 2025 Volvo XC90 plug-in hybrid
At what Volvo is calling 90/90 Day, the Swedish car brand will show off its latest version of the flagship XC90 SUV alongside the long-awaited arrival of the all-electric EX90.
At a media event at company headquarters in Gothenburg, Sweden on Wednesday, Volvo will pour through details on its revamped hybrid SUV. The XC90, first introduced in 2002 and in more recent years modified as a hybrid and plug-in, comes in three variants: two mild hybrids, the B5 and B6, and a T8 PHEV. The big changes for 2025 are more in its looks both inside and out, including a new user experience on a bigger and faster touchscreen. Volvo has emphasized that it’s one of the few plug-ins with a seven-seat option. (The XC90 comes in six- or seven-seat configurations in the U.S.)
Disclosure: Volvo provided flights to and from Gothenburg along with accommodations to attend 90/90 Day. The company did not influence our reporting.
For 2025, the T8 is an inline four-cylinder gas engine with an electric motor and 400-volt three-layer lithium ion 18.8 kWh battery with 14.7 kWh of usable energy. Its pure electric range is 33 miles, but Volvo anticipates drivers using a blend of battery and gas power. The most powerful (and efficient) of the XC90s, the all-wheel drive PHEV offers 310 horsepower with 295 pound-feet of torque and a zero-to-60 mph time of 5.1 seconds. Its fuel economy is 58 MPGe combined. Its 6.4 kW onboard charger takes 3 hours to go from empty to 100% charged (or 7 hours on an ordinary 120 volt outlet). In Europe, Volvo has its own branded home wallbox charger.
As a PHEV, charging is to take advantage of the efficient fuel economy or pure battery driving. Volvo partnered with ChargePoint charging network for plug-and-charge convenience at 80,000 U.S. public charging plugs with the Volvo Cars app. Then there’s a Tesla Supercharger network partnership that ostensibly should give the XC90 PHEV (and EX90) access to Tesla’s 12,000 fast charger stations, but Tesla has been slow to provide converters to non-NACS car makers such as Ford and General Motors. We’ll see how it plays out with Volvo into 2025.
As part of its new identity, the new XC90 has a redesigned front-end. There’s a new hood and bumper area and the Volvo-famous Thor’s Hammer headlights are slimmer. Also look for new wheel designs and lighting in the back and interior. Volvo rationalizes that the redesign is to better align the XC90 with its electric lineup. The trims remain Core, Plus and Ultra.
For tech upgrades, the 11.2-inch center display is now free-standing as seen in the EX30 and EX90 EVs. The new screen will be part of a new user experience debuting on the XC90 and rolling out to all Volvo owners with models from 2020 and newer. Volvo projects 2.5 million customers will be eligible for the UX upgrade. While Google built-in is, well, built into the infotainment system with access to Google Maps, Assistant and Play, there’s still an option for connecting an iPhone through a USB-C cable to Apple CarPlay. The bigger, brighter and higher-res touchscreen is part of a redesigned front console area with easier access to the wireless charging mat and an extra cup holder.
Other new features include a new exterior color, Mulberry Red, inspired by Scandinavian autumn. Inside, two new interior materials Nordico, a leather-free material, and Herringbone Weave, a recycled polyester textile, keep with Volvo’s theme of sustainability. Comfort is crucial for the luxury segment, so the XC90 has upgraded suspension with a double wishbone system in the front.
The same safety ADAS and features with driver support systems that Volvo prides itself on will carry onto the new flagship. Last month, the 2024 was named a Top Safety Pick+ by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
The XC90 sits alongside the battery-powered EX90, a new SUV that makes its delayed arrival as Volvo shakily advances toward an all-electric future. A previously aggressive timeline for electric-only production by 2030 has been tamped down with a refocus on hybrids and plug-ins. Hence, the emphasis this week on the XC90 with its best-of-both-worlds features—or at least that’s what Volvo is betting on.
Pricing for the 2025 plug-in version will be announced later, but the base XC90 will start at $58,450 plus a $1,295 destination fee. Production is expected to start by the end of this year with deliveries in the beginning of 2025. The 2024 plug-in version, branded as the Recharge T8, started at $73,195 for the base Core trim and went up over $80,000 for the top Ultra trim. The EX90 is listed at $81,290 (including a $1,295 destination fee).
After Wednesday’s event, the updated XC90 will be available to order.
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The all-electric luxury electric SUV is getting significantly cheaper. Lexus launched a new entry-level 2025 RZ trim with starting prices over $10,000 less than last year’s model. And you get just as much driving range.
2025 Lexus RZ electric SUV prices and driving range
Lexus launched its first dedicated EV last year, the RZ electric SUV. Starting at $55,175, the 2024 Lexus RZ 300e has a range of up to 266 miles.
The 2024 RZ 450e AWD, equipped with its dual-moto DIRECT4 system, has a range of up to 196 miles. Prices start at just under $60,000. Both models are offered in Premium or Luxury packages.
Lexus is drastically lowering prices for the 2025 model year. The 2025 Lexus RZ starts at $43,975, and that includes the $1,175 delivery fee.
At under $44,000, prices for the 2025 RZ start at over $10,000 less than last year’s model. The lower price tag comes as Lexus added a new entry-level RZ 300e FWD trim to the lineup.
The 2025 Lexus RZ 300e FWD still has an EPA-estimated 266-mile range (18″ wheels), so despite the lower price, it’s no loss from last year’s model. It’s powered by a 72.8 kWh battery pack from global leader CATL.
Lexus modified the subframe for the FWD model, replacing the rear eAxle from the AWD model. The result is a quieter, smoother drive.
Powered by a 71.4 kWh battery, the 2025 RZ 450e AWD has an EPA-estimated driving range of up to 220 miles (18″ wheels).
| 2025 Lexus RZ model | Starting Price* | EPA-estimated Driving Range |
| RZ 450e AWD | $48,675 | 220 miles |
| RZ 450e Premium AWD w/ 18″ Wheel | $52,875 | 220 miles |
| RZ 450e Premium AWD w/ 20″ Wheel | $54,115 | 196 miles |
| RZ 450e Luxury AWD | $58,605 | 220 miles |
| RZ 300e FWD | $43,975 | 266 miles |
| RZ 300e Premium FWD w/ 18″ Wheel | $48,175 | 266 miles |
| RZ 300e Premium FWD w/ 20″ Wheel | $49,415 | 224 miles |
| RZ 300e Luxury FWD | $53,905 | 266 miles |
The 2025 Lexus RZ is available in three grades. These include the new entry-level model, in addition to the current Premium and Luxury trims.
Inside, the electric SUV has a minimalistic feel with a standard 14″ infotainment with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support at the center.
You can also opt for the available 10″ head-up display (HUD), Mark Levinson Surround Sound System, and a host of safety features.
The flat platform provides a spacious interior with 37.52″ of rear legroom, nearly as much as the second row of a Ford Explorer (39″).
With the 2025 model arriving at dealerships soon, Lexus is offering closeout prices on 2024 models with up to $18,500 in lease cash discounts. You can use our link to find the best offers on the Lexus RZ at a dealer near you today.
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Environment
‘Political malpractice’ if Trump undoes climate-geared Biden projects, outgoing U.S. energy secretary says
U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm speaks to the media on day five at the UNFCCC COP29 Climate Conference on November 15, 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Sean Gallup | Getty Images News | Getty Images
A potential decision by Donald Trump to walk back the Biden administration’s climate-geared projects would impact jobs in areas governed by the President-elect’s own party, outgoing U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm told CNBC, urging consistency in Washington’s green transition policies.
Referencing the White House’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement — a 2015 treaty in which nearly 200 governments made non-binding pledges to reduce greenhouse emissions — during Trump’s first mandate, Granholm said the U.S. pressed ahead with projects linked to the green transition that members of Congress wanted to undertake in their districts.
“We are now building all of these projects. We’re building batteries for electric vehicles, we’re building the vehicles, we’re building the offshore wind turbines, we’re building the solar panels. And all of those are factories. And those factories are in districts of members of Congress,” she told CNBC’s Dan Murphy on Friday at the COP29 U.N. climate conference held in Baku, Azerbaijan.
She estimated that 80% of the funding from U.S. President Joe Biden’s legacy bills — the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law — went to U.S. districts represented by Republican leadership.
“It would be political malpractice to undo those opportunities when people are just now getting hired,” she said, stressing benefits to the manufacturing sector and noting that the business community of the world’s largest economy and oil producer now wants a clear course from Washington on its climate policy.
“This isn’t about in [the Paris Agreement], out, shifting back and forth. Let’s have a consistent practice,” she said.
When asked for a response on Granholm’s comments, Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for Trump’s transition team, said the president-elect will “deliver” on the promises he made on the campaign trail.
International focus has now shifted on the shape of the U.S.’ future role in global climate policy, as Trump prepares to take the helm at the White House for a second mandate in January, following a sweeping victory against Democrat candidate Kamala Harris. Trump — who has yet to announce his own pick to lead the U.S. Department of Energy — put hydrocarbons at the front and center of his campaigning agenda, pledging to “end Biden’s delays in federal drilling permits and leases that are needed to unleash American oil and natural gas production.”
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) in March said that the country already “produced more crude oil than any nation at any time” for the past six years to 2023, averaging a crude oil and condensate production of 12.9 million barrels per day that year — breaking the previous U.S. and global record of 12.3 million barrels per day recorded in 2019, during Trump’s first mandate.
Yet Granholm on Friday stressed that the clean transition is also “unleashed” and will take place regardless of who is leading the White House — and that ignoring climate change risks sacrificing Washington’s position as a frontrunner in the blooming decarbonization industry.
“Why would we take a second, a backseat to an economic competitor like China?” she asked. “They have an economic strategy, they want to be number one. So if we get out of the game, we’re just going to cede that territory all over again. It’s bad strategy for the United States and for workers and for communities across the country.”
As the world braces for the possibility of a second U.S. exit from the Paris Agreement, some climate activists note that the green transition has now gained a different global momentum than during Trump’s first turn at the White House:
“There is no denying that another Trump presidency will stall national efforts to tackle the climate crisis and protect the environment, but most U.S. state, local, and private sector leaders are committed to charging ahead,” Dan Lashof, U.S. director of the World Resources Institute, said in a Nov. 6 statement.
“Donald Trump heading back to the White House won’t be a death knell to the clean energy transition that has rapidly picked up pace these last four years.”
Granholm also identified potential support in Trump’s current entourage, which this week welcomed business tycoon Elon Musk as the president-elect’s choice to head a new Department of Government Efficiency, alongside conservative activist Vivek Ramaswamy:
“His right-hand man, Elon Musk, is somebody who has been strongly in favor of products that … address climate change. Obviously, he’s the founder of Tesla,” Granholm pointed out.
Musk’s environmental stance has come under question over the years, shifting from telling Rolling Stone magazine that “climate change is the biggest threat that humanity faces this century, except for AI” and backing carbon taxes to holding that the world needs hydrocarbon supplies as a bridge to renewable energy.
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