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NEWS
DETROIT MOTOR SHOW: Design chief explains Volvo Concept XC Coupé
But skirts discussion of the concept car's association with the next XC90The unveiling of Volvo's Concept XC Coupe at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit is just a week away, and the company has provided further background and new images for the show car that is believed to incorporate styling cues for the next XC90.
Unlike the Concept Coupe show car revealed first in Frankfurt last year, which was coupe-based, the new car is an SUV package – albeit one more akin to the Range Rover Evoque than the XC90.
And that lets Thomas Ingenlath, Senior Vice President Design at Volvo Cars, off the hook. According to Ingenlath the proportions and styling details of the SUV concept share more with the earlier Concept Coupe than a production XC90 of the future, which is known to be scheduled for later this year.
"The Volvo Concept XC Coupé is another demonstration of what our new architecture is capable of. It brings us a bit closer to the All-New XC90. But it goes without saying that a three-row, seven-seater will have a larger and fuller look than this four-seater. Volvo Concept XC Coupé is more of a Cross Country version of a sleek sports wagon."
Like the previous concept – and a third to follow in due course – the Concept XC Coupe is built on Volvo's Scalable Product Architecture, which will also underpin the XC90 from the next generation.
And while the sheet metal for the Concept XC Coupe is unlikely to make it into production unchanged, that doesn't mean the XC90 won't wear some of the familial styling details of the concept car, or sit on the same wheelbase and track, for example, since the SPA architecture is a modular platform much like Volkswagen's MQB, Benz's MFA and Renault/Nissan's CMF types. Ingenlath claims that the SPA platform lends production models a level of packaging efficiency and crash safety unprecedented in the company's history.
“Concept XC Coupé also shows how clever engineering makes it possible for us to reinforce our world-leading safety without compromising design, size or weight. Thanks to the extensive use of high-strength boron steel and structures with new, ingenious decoupling, we can make SPA cars more compact and safer at the same time,” the Volvo designer was quoted saying in a press release.
The Concept XC Coupe takes its inspiration from Swedish company POC, a supplier of 'high-tech protective gear for gravity sports athletes'.
“Several orange details and exterior graphics in combination with bold use of matte rubber mouldings, which cover the rear end of the car, add to the highly functional expression of the design,” said Ingenlath, whose design team also imbued the concept car with SUV details, reinvented in a more modern style.
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