Volvo XC90 Coloring Page: Free Printable PDF Sheet

Volvo XC90: History & Fun Facts

A 2002 Debut That Became Volvo's Flagship

Volvo unveiled the first XC90 in 2002 as a 2003 model, its largest vehicle ever and the brand's first real push into the growing three-row SUV market. Volvo built that original XC90 at its home plant in Torslanda, Sweden, and the model sold so well that it quickly became the company's best-selling nameplate worldwide, a title it has held for most years since.

A Name Built From Off-Road Code and Class Size

Volvo borrowed the "XC" prefix from its Cross Country wagons to signal all-weather, all-road capability, then paired it with "90" to mark the model as the largest and most senior vehicle in the lineup, a numbering system Volvo still uses across its cars and SUVs today. That naming logic means a Volvo shopper can guess a model's size and market position just from its number, long before ever seeing the vehicle in person.

The Thor's Hammer Lights Arrive in 2015

Volvo redesigned the XC90 for the 2015 model year on an entirely new platform, and that second generation introduced the T-shaped vertical daytime running lights nicknamed "Thor's Hammer" after the Norse god's weapon, a light signature echoed in the slim angular headlight shapes traced in this outline. Volvo designers created the shape specifically so an XC90 would be recognizable at a glance even in a rearview mirror at night, and the brand has carried variations of it across nearly every model launched since.

A Crystal Gear Shifter From a Swedish Glassmaker

Volvo partnered with the Swedish glass company Orrefors to offer an optional crystal gear shift knob on top XC90 trims, a small interior detail that became one of the model's most talked-about luxury touches. That glass shifter sits inside a cabin built around a tall portrait-oriented touchscreen, a layout Volvo pioneered on the XC90 before spreading it through the rest of the lineup.

A Middle Seatbelt That Inflates

Volvo engineers gave the second-generation XC90 an inflatable seatbelt for the middle rear seat, a safety feature meant to spread crash force across a wider area of a child's or smaller passenger's chest and reduce injury risk, something few other automakers have matched. That feature built on Volvo's decades-long reputation for pioneering SUV and car safety technology, a reputation that traces back to the three-point seatbelt the company invented and gave away patent-free in 1959.

A Plug-In Flagship With Seven Seats

Volvo offers the XC90 Recharge, a plug-in hybrid version pairing a turbocharged and supercharged gas engine with an electric motor for a combined output that outmuscles the standard model while still seating up to seven passengers across three rows. That electrified flagship reflects Volvo's broader shift toward electrification, a shift the boxy-but-rounded body and roof rails traced in this outline have carried through more than two decades of steady evolution.

A Nearly Flat Load Floor for Real Cargo

Volvo engineers shaped the XC90's rear cargo area with a nearly flat floor when the third-row seats fold away, a practical touch that matters on family trips where flat-pack furniture, luggage, or sports gear needs to lie level rather than tip over a raised lip. The roof rails traced along the top of this outline are rated for real cargo duty too, able to carry a roof box or ski rack on top of whatever fits inside.