FRANKFURT MOTOR SHOW: Volvo outs Concept Coupe

Volvo previewed it earlier this week and now the Volvo Concept Coupe has been revealed in full ahead of its world debut at the Frankfurt motor show on September 10.

Billed as a spiritual successor to the Swedish brand’s P1800 Coupe of the 1960s, the Volvo Concept Coupe is based on the car-maker’s new front/all-wheel drive Scalable Product Architecture (SPA, which was announced late last year and will underpin a range of future Volvo models, beginning with next year’s second-generation XC90 large crossover and also including the 2015 C30, S60 and C70, and the 2016 S80 and XC60.

Volvo says its striking coupe show car is the first of a series of three concept cars that will reveal the design possibilities of the new SPA platform, which in this case teams a supercharged and turbocharged 2.0-litre Drive-E petrol engine with a rear-mounted electric motor offering a total power output of about 300kW.

Volvo’s first plug-in hybrid vehicle was the V60, but the Concept Coupe is the first example of the company’s “strategy to use electrification to create the most powerful versions in the new four-cylinder Drive-E engine family”, which it claims will “take power figures up into V8 territory”.

“The Volvo Concept Coupé is no futuristic dream car,” said Volvo Car Senior Vice President of Design, Thomas Ingenlath.

“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 recognise the connection instantly when it is revealed next year.”

Developed entirely in-house for its use only, Volvo says its new modular platform architecture liberates its designers and engineers from “the limitations of previous cross-brand platforms”, including those it borrowed from Ford.

“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,” said Ingenlath.

Wrapped in a sleek two-door body with an extended dash-to-front axle ratio, the coupe concept features a low bonnet and roof, huge 21-inch five-spoke wheels and a beltline spanning the entire vehicle, creating the impression of what Volvo says is “an elegant Gran Tourer oozing effortless power”.

“Think about the powerful calmness of a lion. He doesn’t have to prowl to radiate respect.  Even lying down he shows very clearly what he is capable of,” said Ingenlath.

Jewellery includes a ‘floating’ grille and headlights with new T-shaped daytime running light guides that match the signature tail-lights.

“The face is new, but it also carries more than 85 years of Volvo heritage with great pride. We are still working with the final interpretation of the grille and the iron mark and this will be revealed together with the XC90 next year,” said Ingenlath, adding that many design elements from the P1800 are also present.

“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 recognized part of Volvo’s identity. That journey starts with Concept Coupé.”

Inside the blue-grey exterior are handcrafted elements such as the leather instrument panel, aged wood inlays, dark blue woven carpets, machined metal details and a new “large portrait” colour touch-screen in the centre console, which “heralds a totally new approach to Volvo Cars’ human-centric user experience” by interacting with an adaptive digital display and head-up display in front of the driver.

“This is a natural integration of user interfaces in our new car generation. Interaction with pleasure but without distraction is the key. We bring connectivity into our cars to make them both more enjoyable and safe,” said Ingenlath.