Volvo's new design language

The design of any product is the first interface between that product and people; its first chance if you will, to reach out to buyers, or people in general. And so it is of utmost importance. The design of a product has to convey its core characteristics, utility & functions - and yet look attractive at the same time.

There have been some strong winds of change blowing at Torslanda, the suburb of Gothenburg where Volvo Cars is headquartered in Sweden. For decades Volvo was associated with safety, and also boring or stodgy looking cars. That changed somewhat with the arrival of the XC60 in 2008, and then the new S60 in 2010. But now the company is heading into a bold new phase when it comes to design. Yes it is still Swedish at its heart, so function is still as important as form! But the essence of the new Volvo family look is undoubtedly to captivate!

Volvo held a design conference to herald this new movement it's embarking on. And yes the fact that this conference was not held in Sweden but in its parent co Geely's home country, was not lost to us. So off we went to Beijing! But it has been over the past 6 months really that Volvo has been unveiling one new concept car after another - at the major motor shows like Frankfurt, Detroit and Geneva. The latest iteration, the Concept Estate is a prime example of where Volvo is taking Scandinavian design. One look at it, and it wasn't a huge surprise that it bagged the "Car of the Show" award at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show in March. The Concept XC Coupe had previously won its own share of design awards at Detroit in January.

The Concept Estate, along with the Concept Coupe and the Concept XC Coupe, are a sneak peak into the new design language that will soon be incorporated into Volvo production cars - starting with the next generation XC90 that arrives at the Paris Motor Show this autumn.

Thomas Ingenlath is the senior Vice President of Design at Volvo. He says he drew inspiration for the concepts from Scandinavia - what a shock! But he adds that its also the region's outdoor activity and creativity that have been drawn upon. He also added that most of the design details seen on the concepts will definitely make it to the production cars.

The vehicle architecture that the three concepts cars are built on is Volvo's all-new Scalable Product Architecture or SPA. Only the length between dash & front axle is fixed on the SPA. All other dimensions can be modified to suit different design and comfort needs, or vehicle body types. And yes if you're thinking this is a similar idea to Volkswagen's modular platform strategy MQB, it is.

Edgy, flamboyant and a sense of flair - that's the kind of aura, the three concepts seem to give off. The all-new daytime running lights or DRLs, have been derived from Thor's mighty hammer, and hence the 'T' shape! The floating front grille will flaunt the Volvo logo prominently.

On the Estate, the large hood and sharp shoulder line that meets the new rear lamp cluster, give the concept a confident stance. On the inside, the interface with a large touch-screen in the centre console clears the clutter, aids convenience and gives off a premium minimalist look to boot! Volvo has already announced its new infotainment consoles will come with Apple's CarPlay.

The new Volvo Concept Estate naturally points to future station wagons - a segment we are unlikely to see in India for a while sadly! But the new design language will come to our shores with the next XC90 as well as all future sedans and SUVs from Volvo. This is exciting news from a brand many thought would die out once Ford started to lose its grip on it. But it seems to be stringer today and headed into larger volumes too. All we know is - we cant wait to see the new sexy looking lineup from Volvo.