The concept is both elegant and dynamic, but what really makes it stand out are the understated styling references to the P1800 (built from 1961 to 1973), which capture the essence of Volvo's classic coupe without falling into the retro trap.
Thomas Ingenlath explains: “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. However, using elements from the P1800 exterior and interior has nothing to do with being retro. We are using these subtle links to a glorious past to create a future where sheer beauty becomes a recognised part of Volvo’s identity. That journey starts with Concept Coupé.”
The Volvo Concept Coupé – the next-generation P1800:
Elegant confidence enabled by the new scalable architecture
Inspired by contemporary, progressive
Scandinavian lifestyle and design as well as iconic elements from the
past, the elegant new Volvo Concept Coupé is the first of a series of
three concept cars that reveal the design possibilities created by the
company’s new Scalable Product Architecture (SPA).
After a more than a year of rising expectations, the first
design by the new Senior Vice President of Design, Thomas Ingenlath,
showcases how design builds emotion into the Volvo brand and points
toward the next generation of Volvo models, starting with the
forthcoming XC90 in 2014.
“The Volvo Concept Coupé is no futuristic dream car. It is
designed to demonstrate the capability of our new architecture: the
confident stance, the proportions and the most prominent design
signatures. Even though the all-new XC90 is an entirely different type
of car, you will recognize the connection instantly when it is revealed
next year,” said Ingenlath.
Developed in-house for Volvo Cars only, the Scalable Product
Architecture liberates Volvo’s designers and engineers from the
limitations of previous cross-brand platforms.
“The new Volvo Concept Coupé reveals how we could shape our
cars from now on. Free from the superficial surface excitement of other
car brands, we add emotional value to the Volvo brand with the calm,
confident beauty that is the hallmark of Scandinavian design,” says
Thomas Ingenlath.
More on volvo website here
