{"id":72231,"date":"2014-02-27T09:29:45","date_gmt":"2014-02-27T14:29:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedetroitbureau.com\/?p=72231"},"modified":"2014-02-27T09:29:46","modified_gmt":"2014-02-27T14:29:46","slug":"volvo-reveals-concept-estate-ahead-of-geneva-debut","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/2014\/02\/volvo-reveals-concept-estate-ahead-of-geneva-debut\/","title":{"rendered":"Volvo Reveals Concept Estate Ahead of Geneva Debut"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Volvo debuts the third in its trilogy of concept vehicles at the Geneva Motor Show: the Volvo Concept Estate.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There are plenty of big changes coming at Volvo, the Swedish maker planning a major shift in its powertrain strategy, opening a pair of factories in China \u2013 and adopting a new, and much more expressive design language.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve been getting hints of where the styling side of that equation will head as Volvo has rolled out a trio of concept vehicles over the last three months covering three of its primary body styles.<\/p>\n

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Product News!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It began with the Frankfurt Motor Show reveal of the Volvo Concept Coupe, continued at Detroit North American International Auto Show with the unveiling of the Concept XC Coupe \u2013 and will wrap up at next week\u2019s Geneva Motor Show with the debut of the Volvo Concept Estate.<\/p>\n

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The Volvo Concept Estate rounds out a trio of concepts that the Swedish maker began showing at the Frankfurt Motor Show.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“Creativity is thriving in Swedish society. This includes design and technology as well as the fashion, music and arts. This inspired us to create a new, exciting way to express Sweden’s soul,” Thomas Ingenlath, the Volvo Car Group\u2019s head of design, explains in somewhat cryptic manner.<\/p>\n

As one might expect, the Concept Estate \u2013 one of many European euphemisms for wagon \u2013 picks up on the basic design language of the two earlier Volvo concepts.\u00a0That\u2019s particularly clear below the beltline.\u00a0It shares the same, distinctive T-shape headlamps, and boasts what is apparently set to become the new signature Volvo grille.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a more muscular look to the Volvo Concept Estate than we get from the maker\u2019s current offerings. And for anyone who still associates the now Chinese-owned Swedish automaker with the boxy wagons of the past, the new show car has a nice curve to the roofline that flares out into a tail that, to borrow a clich\u00e9, looks like it is already in motion. The design is completed with distinctive new taillamps shared with the Concept XC Coupe.<\/p>\n

(Daimler, BYD launching new battery electric car. For more, <\/em><\/strong>Click Here<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.)<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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The Volvo Concept XC Coupe, which debuted in Detroit, blends new and old design elements. It's one of three concepts from the maker.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Inside, the Concept Estate adopts a more upscale, but decidedly Scandinavian appearance. But there\u2019s more than just light woods and leathers at work here.\u00a0Notice the more edgy orange seatbelts and carpet, along with machined copper accents. There\u2019s also a crystal gear shifter from Sweden\u2019s Kosta Boda.<\/p>\n

(<\/em><\/strong>Click Here<\/a><\/span><\/strong> to find out more about the federal probe of GM\u2019s recall.)<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Among other things, there\u2019s a new infotainment system with what Volvo promises is a distinctive new user interface. It\u2019s touch-based, though Volvo promises that a few key knobs and buttons \u2013 for such vital functions as volume and window heaters \u2013 will remain.<\/p>\n

(To see the new Mini Clubman concept, <\/em><\/strong>Click Here<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.)<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

We have created a digital environment that is fully integrated in the car. The basic idea is to organize controls and information in a perfectly intuitive way, making the drive more enjoyable, efficient and safe. Everything is exactly where you expect it to be, and available at the touch of your finger,” says Ingenlath.<\/p>\n

The three concept vehicles are expected to translate into production form over the next several years, starting with the launch of the next-generation Volvo XC90, which is set to debut this coming autumn.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Volvo is making big changes: planning a major shift in its powertrain strategy, opening a pair of factories in China \u2013 and adopting a new, and much more expressive design language. The maker has been hinting at that new styling with a trio of concept, the last of which was revealed today. To see it, go to TheDetroitBureau.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":72230,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"make":[],"post-state":[],"category_old":[151],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72231"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72231"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72231\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/72230"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72231"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72231"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72231"},{"taxonomy":"make","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/make?post=72231"},{"taxonomy":"post-state","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post-state?post=72231"},{"taxonomy":"category_old","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/category_old?post=72231"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}