Progressive Scandinavian design is clearly on the rise when you take in the sexy, iconic, elements folded into the elegant new Volvo Coupe Concept. The Frankfurt show car also showcases the design possibilities of the company’s new Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) going forward. This first design by Thomas Ingenlath showcases the next generation of Volvo models from 2014 onwards with a sleek and sexy coupe.
As a modern take on the famous Volvo P1800 from the 1960s, the design concept evokes a newfound passion and signals a change of direction from the once sober and restrained Swedish rhetoric – to something much more expressive now that the company is under the ownership of China’s Geely Motors Company.
As we all know Volvos nowadays are all about human-centric traits and from a practical point of view the distance between the dashboard and the front axle has been specifically extended; moving the low-slung glasshouse rearwards. And yet a low bonnet, sleek roof, and the five-spoke 21-inch wheels contribute to the effortless Gran Tourer look of the Scandinavian showcar.
A large portrait touch-screen in the centre console interacts with an adaptive digital display and head-up display in front of the driver. The petrol plug-in hybrid drivetrain is a new inculcation of Volvo’s four-cylinder Drive-E engine family and this takes power figures into V8 territory without harming the environment.
Featuring a 2.0-litre Drive-E petrol engine with a super and turbocharger, the petrol engine gets an electric motor on the rear axle which will give the Volvo Coupe Concept a total output of 298 kW and over 600 Nm of torque.
At the Frankfurt International Motor Show unveiling, Volvo said that the Volvo Coupe Concept is the first in a series of three concept cars that will demonstrate its new design DNA, and one which paves the way for the company’s most-anticipated new car: the all-new XC90 SUV coming next year.“Even though the all-new XC90 is a different type of car, you will recognise the connection instantly,” said Volvo designer, Ingenlath.
