The Volvo EX60 Launches With Google Gemini, and Older Models Will Get This Tech as an Over-the-Air Update

• The Volvo EX60 is a new electric SUV coming this year.
• It features a large touchscreen multimedia system with Google Gemini integration.
• Gemini will roll out to older Volvo models via an over-the-air update.

— Stockholm, Sweden

When it comes to in-car tech, our experiences with Volvo's latest products have been rough to say the least. An EX90 we tested was riddled with software issues, and the EX30 that we bought for our One-Year Road Test fleet has needed quite a few over-the-air updates to smooth out the tech annoyances.

At the debut of the new Volvo EX60 in Sweden this week, I asked Volvo's chief engineering and technology officer, Anders Bell, about the company's tech troubles. He didn't mince words: "The EX90 was the beginning of our software-defined journey, which was a very tough one. Unfortunately, our growing pains spilled onto our customers. I wish we had started earlier with development. But from a software perspective, the cars are where we want them to be now — maybe where they should have been all along."

The EX60 could be the antidote to Volvo's technological growing pains thanks to some important new hardware with everyone's favorite buzzwords of the moment: artificial intelligence. I'm sure you're sick of hearing that just about everything is "powered by AI" at this point, but at least Volvo is joining the crowd with Google Gemini. Volvo integrated Google into its multimedia software some years ago, but the EX60 will be the first of its cars to launch with Gemini as your personal assistant. 

Gemini can do all sorts of things in addition to controlling a car's features. Bell told me that Gemini can use the EX60's cameras to scan your surroundings, so you can ask questions about the world around you.

Like Volvo's current cars, the Google multimedia system won't be the only way to operate the infotainment system. For Apple CarPlay die-hards, this smartphone mirroring tech will be standard. "We want to provide the absolute best native experience we can, but customer should always be able to choose," Bell said.

The EX60 won't be the only Volvo to get Gemini integration, however. Bell confirmed that Gemini will be added retroactively to models as old as 2021 via an over-the-air update. Expect to see that rolled out later this year.

Assuming the tech troubles have been properly addressed, the Volvo EX60 could be a compelling midsize electric SUV. It looks great inside and out, and it's estimated to offer up to 400 miles of driving range. The 2027 Volvo EX60 goes on sale in the U.S. later this year.