Volvo XC Coupe

 As we all know, Volvo made its hay with industry-leading safety advancements. But safety tech isn’t the differentiator it once was, with most automakers peddling similar gadgets and similarly safe vehicles. So Volvo is trying to reinvent itself as a style leader, and under the leadership of Thomas Ingenlath, a German designer who built his reputation at the Volkswagen Group, Volvo has started to crank out a number of highly promising concept cars. The second such concept is this Concept XC Coupe, which follows on the heels of the Concept Coupe. The XC, perhaps more than any previous Volvo, embodies the pure Scandinavian design popular the world over.
Volvo has not yet released technical details of the Concept XC Coupe, but the brand has said that the show car uses the Swedish automaker's new Scalable Product Architecture (SPA). We can safely assume that it taps into Volvo's newly developed range of four-cylinder engines, and considering “Plug-In Hybrid” is etched just aft of the front wheels, we expect that batteries are indeed included.
 While Volvo stresses the Concept XC Coupe's "proud XC heritage"—alluding to the brand’s run of crossovers that started in 1997—the concept owes at least as much to the automaker's rich heritage of shooting brakes. In fact, the Concept XC Coupe would make a very convincing shooting brake itself, if it weren't for the slightly obnoxious crossover treatment. That includes a raised suspension, 21-inch wheels, orange-colored details, and skid plates that just about no one will ever need or use. But we get it; customer is king, and crossovers are what they want. The clean style of the Concept XC Coupe is highlighted by the concave grille, the T-shaped LED headlamps, and the delicately thin taillights. All three elements will become signature features of future Volvo models.
The airy cabin of the Concept XC Coupe is designed to hold four occupants and the cargo of those with active lifestyles, but we suspect it’ll accommodate a pellet of Nutter Butters and a few dozen The Biggest Loser DVDs just as easily. The XC concept features the same split instrument-panel hood as does the Concept Coupe, which incorporated a sharkfin-like element that projects warnings and info onto the windscreen.
If the extremely well executed Concept XC Coupe is any indicator, Volvo has certainly found its new differentiator. We’re hopeful that it will ultimately reach Volvo dealerships in the not-too-distant future looking basically like this, although some of us could do without the orange skid plates.

Volvo unveiled another concept car in Detroit. And there'll be another concept in Geneva, designed to show their interior design prowess. And then... at last... there'll be the new XC90. And if the world can wait that long, the XC90 will be a new chapter. It's the first car to use Volvo's much-heralded all-new platform matrix as well as the first to be designed by Thomas Ingenlath.

Still the Concept XC Coupe gives us something to be getting on with. It's a full-sized crossover. They say we mustn't think it's just a coupe version of the next XC90 - it's too low for that - but it does show several cues that are lined up for production.
F'risntance, Ingenlath says you can expect all the next generation of Volvos to have this grille, the T-shaped daytime LEDs, the same bonnet profiles, and the shouldered tail-lamps. The concept also demonstrates the new platform architecture can make cars with the front wheels well forward, which makes them look like RWD premium cars even when they're actually FWD.
Lots of details on the concept are, Ingenlath says, inspired by action sports equipment and colours. Sure enough they are done nicely here. The grey rubberised material on the bumpers and grille is a nice departure from the usual flat black or chrome. But if we had a tenner for every time a car designer said a car was inspired by sports equipment, we could fund the BBC's licence fee.
He stresses this concept isn't just a three-door version of the next XC90, which will turn up at the Paris show this autumn. The XC Coupe is lower, in the bonnet and waist-line as well as the roof, and slightly wider too.
The concept on the show floor didn't actually have a finished interior, so Volvo hung on the wall a full-size model of the insides. It has just two seats in the rear, and they were folded to reveal special spaces for crash helmets and a personal watercraft thingy.
Volvo is making astounding claims for its coming safety tech. The platform uses a lot of super-strength steel and aluminium to make sure it's crash-safe but not heavy, and it's crammed with driver aids. Volvo says it expects that from the year 2020 no-one will get killed or seriously injured in its new cars.
The new XC90 will rely on the company's new family of four-cylinder engines, but the top one is supercharged and turbocharged for 300bhp, plus it gets an additional hybrid shove. That'll make a total of 400bhp, they claim.
The XC90 will come first, and then a new S80 saloon two years from now, and then a replacement for the V70.
 This is the Volvo Concept XC Coupe, which provides a glimpse into the future of its SUV line-up.
Following on the heels of the Concept Coupe that was revealed at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show, the SUV concept has made its debut at the 2014 Detroit Motor Show. It’s the second in a series of three concepts that demonstrate the versatility of Volvo’s new Scalable Product Architecture (SPA).
• Detroit motor show 2014
Despite its relatively low-slung stance, three-door, four-seater layout plus dimensions that roughly match the XC60’s, the Concept XC Coupe is in fact a big clue as to how the new XC90 will look when it debuts at the Paris Motor Show in September.

 Thomas Ingenlath, Volvo design vice president, explained: “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. The Concept XC Coupe is more of a Cross Country version of a sleek sports wagon.”
Significant styling cues are everywhere, including the floating grille, T-shaped LED elements in the headlights and a unique rear light signature. To give a classic SUV look, chunky side sills, 21-inch wheels and skid plates have been added at the front and rear.
Volvo has yet to release interior pictures, but we already know the XC90 will use an iPad-sized central touchscreen and feature an Android-based Sensus Connected Touch infotainment system that’ll let you download apps straight to the car.
It should also be one of the safest models on the road, with a system that steers you away from barriers, an autobrake function that detects pedestrians in the dark and the ability to follow the car in front autonomously.

The arrival of the SPA platform, which will underpin everything from the S60 up, is a major step forward for Volvo. Even the seven-seater XC90 will use only four-cylinder 2.0-litre petrol and diesel engines. The most powerful petrol has a supercharger and turbo to produce 302bhp, while a hybrid version of the same engine will hit 400bhp with 600Nm of torque.
The XC90 isn’t the only SPA-based SUV in the pipeline, either; a replacement for the XC60 could arrive by 2016, while Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson is keen on producing an even smaller XC40.