I visited Volvo USA’s website this evening and saw this picture of an XC90 as their third slide. The question I had was “What XC90 has fender flares like that?” It’s not an R-Design as those have the same trim around the wheel wells. Could this be an upcoming edition or the European look? I sampled several the UK, Chinese, and Israeli websites but the XC90 wheel arches all look the same. What’s up with that?
What it turned out to be was an accessory. For $561.80, you can have Wheel Arch Wideners (Part #30660621) added to your wheel arches. The accessories catalog describes them this way:
“Volvo Wheel Arch Wideners that broaden the wheel arches and accentuate the rugged yet elegant appearance of your XC90. The Wheel Arch Wideners are plastic and are colored dark grey to match the rest of the exterior moldings. The kit consists of 4 pieces for the front and rear wheel arches. Can not be used in conjunction with the accessory side decor.”
There you have it. Volvo USA decided to post a picture of a “groovy” XC90 on their main website to make us start asking questions. Or maybe it just slipped past the graphic designer. Nicely done, Volvo.
I stumbled upon your blog while looking for a picture of the XC90 with the side decor kit. I wanted to add some clarification to your post. The Wheel Arch Wideners are actually wheel arch trim that is only slightly wider than the standard trim. It is actually fitted as standard on all XC90s after 2012. The accessory showcased in the pic above is called the “Side Decor Kit”, and is actually about $2000. It comes pre-painted to match the car. I just ordered a kit in willow green for my 07 XC90 V8.
On a side note, it looks like you might be affiliated with Leikin in some way. My mother bought her XC60 there about a year ago, and it was a very positive experience. I have a small dealership in Erie, PA and sell mostly older used Volvos, but some other European cars too.