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Volvo XT90 Imagined As a Lone Survivor in the Premium Pickup Segment

Could Volvo strive where others failed? That is the question surrounding this new rendering that portrays the XC90 in a different body style, one that is ready to do some serious hauling without giving up on the comfort, tech, and safety gizmos of the real thing.
Volvo XT90 - Rendering 7 photos
Photo: Instagram | Jlord8
Volvo XT90 - RenderingVolvo XC90Volvo XC90Volvo XC90Volvo XC90Volvo XC90
Unofficially dubbed the XT90 by its digital maker, jlord8, with the ‘T’ obviously coming from ‘truck,’ the pickup brings the usual stylistic updates expected from such a model, and then some. The latter part refers to the wheelbase, which is now much longer, a necessary asset that has allowed the implementation of an open bed behind the cockpit without a massive rear overhang.

The vehicle has longer rear three-quarter panels, new taillights that had to be adapted in order to fit the redesign, and rear pillars moved behind the passenger compartment. Space at the rear is probably a bit more cramped compared to the XC90 considering that the doors are a bit shorter. Those sitting at the front, on the other hand, should have the same legroom, not to mention access to the usual gizmos normally present on the high-rider. As far as the front end goes, this looks virtually unchanged.

Now, as we are sure you already know, a pickup version of the XC90 would make little sense, as while it would give buyers a fresh alternative in the segment, it wouldn’t really be that rugged in order to cope with hard work. Mercedes dipped their fingers into this niche by rebadging the Nissan Navara and selling it as the X-Class, and we all know what happened to it, don’t we? That’s right, they were pretty much forced to pull the plug on it after it turned out to be anything but popular, and not that reliable either, so we are almost certain that others would fail here too, unless they come up with a proper workhorse for an attractive price tag.

Meanwhile, the fate of the XC90 is pretty much sealed, as it will eventually be replaced by the EX90. Sharing its construction with the Polestar 3, the electric crossover was presented late last year, and it looks like an XC90 from the future, with a closed-off grille, similar proportions, and an evolution of the exterior lighting units, joined by flush-mounted door handles, and a more high-tech cockpit. Before pulling the plug on the XC90, Volvo will give it a refresh, and will only sell it with plug-in hybrid power. The second generation is an aging product, having launched back in 2015. It was given a facelift four years later, and it comes to life in Sweden, India, and Malaysia. Built on the SPA platform shared with the S90 and V90, the XC90 is offered with various powertrains, including a few electrified ones.

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About the author: Cristian Gnaticov
Cristian Gnaticov profile photo

After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s.
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