Volvo has given us a glimpse of the next generation 2010 Volvo S60 with this concept which will be presented to the public in the Detroit car show early next year. The definite first thing you will say to your self when you look at the concept is; “Wow!”, and the feeling is mutual.
This four door C-Segment concept definitely has some good things going for it with its very aggressive “coupe-ish” design. Up front, above the lower bumper with three vents, the concept car is first of all treated with a huge, forward looking trapezoidal grille. The front LED headlights that flank the front fascia are influenced by the ancient Viking longboats with lights design that creates an image of two miniature Vikings boats sailing side by side.
The lines then flow continuously to take back, with a slopping roof line. This slightly raised rear section accompanied by the slopping roof line gives a hint of the BMW’s X6 design cues. On the way there, the unique rear parallelogram doors offer a spectacular show when they are opened and shut. Door opening is initiated by pressing on a button and the movement starts off in the traditional way.
In the next phase, the forward section also swings out away from the car’s body and the door glides parallel with the side of the car until it reaches its end position by the rear wheel. Wheels are made of a seven spoke 20 inch design wrapped with low profile tyres.
The rear with fluid lines does make up for a view that is pleasant to the eyes with triangular shaped exhaust ends on each side of the lower bumper. The somewhat slim diffuser which nestles underneath adjusts itself according to the traveling speed of the vehicle to provide better aerodynamic grip. The tail lights when turned off, will show no trace of the traditional red or yellow, however when activated, the position marker lights, brake lights and turn indicators come on in their correct colours. The solid glass panel is sectioned into horizontal “slices”.
Inside, a “floating” theme is used, with a floating centre stack made out of hand made solid Orrefors crystal, a floating centre cluster on the instrument panel, and floating seats where all seats are attached to the centre console, instead of the floor pan. The interior does feature a very futuristic design but Volvo claims that such design cues will be used in the future.
The concept is powered by a 1.6 liter Gasoline Turbocharged Direct Injection, GDTi for short which is capable of 180HP. This low displacement engine is coupled to a twin clutch Powershift transmission and steering is by an Electric Power Assisted system. The “DRIVe-mode” economy driving mode helps bring CO2 emissions down to 119 g/km.
Other innovations which can be seen in this S60 concept include; Collision Warning with Full Auto Brake that can help avoid a collision entirely if the relative speed difference between the two vehicles is less than 25 km/h and an upgraded cruise control system.
The Collision Warning with Full Auto Brake can also detect a pedestrian who suddenly steps out into the path of the vehicle and this system will then fully apply brakes automatically if the driver fails to respond in time. The radar-based Adaptive Cruise Control can be used even in slow-moving queues since the system can slow the car down to a halt, and then accelerate it again.
Since this is a concept, we can expect that certain design features will not make it into production such as the floating centre stack with crystals and perhaps the retractable rear diffuser. With this concept, I can’t wait to look at the production version!
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