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Volvo S60 Concept
Nearly a month ahead of its Detroit auto show debut, the Volvo S60 Concept has been fully uncovered. The Swedish automaker openly admits the show car was designed to provide “a glimpse of what the all-new Volvo S60 is going to look like when it arrives in 2010.” Just how closely the production 2011 S60 resembles this car remains to be seen, but much of what we’ve seen looks production-worthy.
When Volvo launched its XC60, design chief Steve Mattin said it marked a whole new styling direction for the company. Judging by the S60 Concept, that certainly appears to be the case. Martin joined Volvo from Mercedes-Benz in 2005. At Mercedes, he was responsible for the design of the SLR McLaren and the new S-Class, among others.
In addition to a new design language, the S60 Concept seems to demonstrate Volvo’s desire to move toward more slender A- and C-pillars for increased visibility. Over the years, these structural supports have become much thicker on most vehicles for structural and styling purposes. Volvo seems to have kept the styling up to snuff, but no details were given on the materials used to achieve a strong and slender roof structure.
The interior is highlighted by a sculpted crystal slab, which acts as the car’s center console, center stack, and even houses a navigation system. Of course, don’t look for the crystal treatment to make its way into the production S60 as it is purely a conceptual piece developed with Swedish glassmaker Orrefors.
“The full-size crystal piece in the concept car will not be a production feature. However, it does open up opportunities to use crystal on a smaller scale in the future. We’ll have to see how our customers respond,” said Mattin.
Although the crystal center piece won’t make it to showrooms, the unit probably does preview the interior’s general shapes and layout. Look for the next-gen S60 to feature a flowing center stack, with integration into the center console and even into the dash – complete with an instrumental-level navigation screen.
All of that’ great, but what would a Volvo concept car be without new safety technologies? Well, this vehicle is equipped with an promising pedestrian detection system that, among other things, can automatically brake if the driver does not respond to an imminent collision with a person. A production version of the technology, “Collision Warning with Full Auto Brake and Pedestrian Detection,” will be introduced in the 2011 S60.
The technology can also be applied to the prevention of rear-impact collisions. Studies indicate half of all drivers who crash into the rear of another vehicle do not brake prior to the collision. In such cases, Collision Warning with Full Auto Brake can help entirely avoid a collision if the relative speed difference between the two vehicles is less than 16 mph.
Other highlights include a ‘Powershift’ dual-clutch automated gearbox, a 180 hp GTDi engine, EPAS (Electric Power Assisted Steering), a ‘DRIVe-Mode’ fuel economy mode, flat underbody panels, and automatic engine start-stop for stop-and-go traffic.
The next S60 was originally slated to hit the market in early 2010, but the current economic slump is expected to push that launch back at least until mid-2010.
When Volvo launched its XC60, design chief Steve Mattin said it marked a whole new styling direction for the company. Judging by the S60 Concept, that certainly appears to be the case. Martin joined Volvo from Mercedes-Benz in 2005. At Mercedes, he was responsible for the design of the SLR McLaren and the new S-Class, among others.
In addition to a new design language, the S60 Concept seems to demonstrate Volvo’s desire to move toward more slender A- and C-pillars for increased visibility. Over the years, these structural supports have become much thicker on most vehicles for structural and styling purposes. Volvo seems to have kept the styling up to snuff, but no details were given on the materials used to achieve a strong and slender roof structure.
The interior is highlighted by a sculpted crystal slab, which acts as the car’s center console, center stack, and even houses a navigation system. Of course, don’t look for the crystal treatment to make its way into the production S60 as it is purely a conceptual piece developed with Swedish glassmaker Orrefors.
“The full-size crystal piece in the concept car will not be a production feature. However, it does open up opportunities to use crystal on a smaller scale in the future. We’ll have to see how our customers respond,” said Mattin.
Although the crystal center piece won’t make it to showrooms, the unit probably does preview the interior’s general shapes and layout. Look for the next-gen S60 to feature a flowing center stack, with integration into the center console and even into the dash – complete with an instrumental-level navigation screen.
All of that’ great, but what would a Volvo concept car be without new safety technologies? Well, this vehicle is equipped with an promising pedestrian detection system that, among other things, can automatically brake if the driver does not respond to an imminent collision with a person. A production version of the technology, “Collision Warning with Full Auto Brake and Pedestrian Detection,” will be introduced in the 2011 S60.
The technology can also be applied to the prevention of rear-impact collisions. Studies indicate half of all drivers who crash into the rear of another vehicle do not brake prior to the collision. In such cases, Collision Warning with Full Auto Brake can help entirely avoid a collision if the relative speed difference between the two vehicles is less than 16 mph.
Other highlights include a ‘Powershift’ dual-clutch automated gearbox, a 180 hp GTDi engine, EPAS (Electric Power Assisted Steering), a ‘DRIVe-Mode’ fuel economy mode, flat underbody panels, and automatic engine start-stop for stop-and-go traffic.
The next S60 was originally slated to hit the market in early 2010, but the current economic slump is expected to push that launch back at least until mid-2010.
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