The Volvo Concept Coupé has been revealed ahead of its debut at the Frankfurt
motor show next month. It is the first of three concept cars that Volvo says
will reveal its future design direction.
The Concept Coupé was partly inspired by the P1800 coupé of the 1960s,
according to Thomas Ingenlath, Volvo senior vice president of design. He
said: “It is a car designer’s duty to reflect and incorporate design
signatures that are vital parts of the company’s heritage. The P1800 is an
iconic Volvo, renowned for its beautiful forms and detailing.”
Elements that refer to the P1800 include the shape of the front grille and
rear wings, and the kinked line that runs from the rear panels to the door
handles.
New design features that could be seen on future Volvo models include T-shaped
daytime running lights within the car’s headlights, U-shaped rear lights and
a “floating” front grille.
Inside, the Concept Coupé has a leather-trimmed instrument panel, “aged wood” inlays and machined metal details.
A large touch-screen – in portrait format – dominates the dashboard and there’s also a head-up display for the driver.
Volvo says the Concept Coupé has a plug-in hybrid powertrain that combines a supercharged and turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine with an electric motor on the rear axle, to give a combined output of about 400HP and more than 600NM of torque.
Rather than previewing a production model, the Concept Coupé is more likely to hint at the overall look of Volvo’s next generation of cars, all of which will be based on its new Scalable Product Architecture (SPA), a modular platform that can be easily adapted for vehicles of different sizes and types.
Thomas Ingenlath said: “The new architecture enables us to create the great proportions that are important to achieve a premium look.
“The dash to axle ratio is more generous than any other architecture I have worked with before. This gives us the opportunity to be up there among the top premium brands when it comes to proportions.”
The first of Volvo’s cars to use the new structure will be the XC90 SUV, which will go on sale next year.
It's a 400HP two-seater plug-in hybrid. It is a great piece of art and I hope that this will be released into production in a few years time.
Inside, the Concept Coupé has a leather-trimmed instrument panel, “aged wood” inlays and machined metal details.
A large touch-screen – in portrait format – dominates the dashboard and there’s also a head-up display for the driver.
Volvo says the Concept Coupé has a plug-in hybrid powertrain that combines a supercharged and turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine with an electric motor on the rear axle, to give a combined output of about 400HP and more than 600NM of torque.
Rather than previewing a production model, the Concept Coupé is more likely to hint at the overall look of Volvo’s next generation of cars, all of which will be based on its new Scalable Product Architecture (SPA), a modular platform that can be easily adapted for vehicles of different sizes and types.
Thomas Ingenlath said: “The new architecture enables us to create the great proportions that are important to achieve a premium look.
“The dash to axle ratio is more generous than any other architecture I have worked with before. This gives us the opportunity to be up there among the top premium brands when it comes to proportions.”
The first of Volvo’s cars to use the new structure will be the XC90 SUV, which will go on sale next year.
It's a 400HP two-seater plug-in hybrid. It is a great piece of art and I hope that this will be released into production in a few years time.
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