Volvo S60 Concept

Here are the first images of the Volvo S60 Concept car which will be unveiled at the Detroit Motor Show in early January 2009. The Concept gives an indication of what the all-new Volvo S60 will look like when it's launched in 2010.

The coupe-inspired lines that gave the original S60 its characteristic stance are more pronounced in this next generation. "The sporty design gives a visual promise of an enthusiastic drive and I can assure you that the all-new S60 will live up to that promise. The driving properties are better than in any previous Volvo," says Stephen Odell, President of Volvo Cars.

The front of the S60 Concept sports the enlarged iron mark in the trapezoidal grille. The two lamps that flank the grille emphasise the vertical stance of the front and highlight the bonnet's V-shape. The angled headlamps flow up into the strongly sculptured bonnet and, combined with the lower air intake's reverse trapezoidal shape, this gives the concept car a very expressive ‘face’.

Viewed from the side, the concept car's slim coupe roofline and window graphics are accompanied by an entirely new shoulder line, forming a gentle double wave, stretching from the headlamps all the way to the rear. Both the seven-spoke 20-inch wheels and the tread of the low-profile tyres have been specially designed, while the bronze-painted brake callipers match the ‘Warm Liquid Copper’ livery.

The unique rear parallelogram doors offer a spectacular show when they are opened and closed. Door opening is initiated by pressing a button and the movement starts off in the traditional way. In the next phase, the forward section swings out away from the car's body and the door glides parallel with the side of the car until it reaches its end position by the rear wheel.

Interior indicates future design direction
With the interior of the Volvo S60 Concept, Volvo Cars' design director Steve Mattin and his team are displaying a variety of new ideas. In the middle of the four-seater car sits the floating centre stack made out of handmade, solid Orrefors crystal. It floats like a gentle wave from the instrument panel all the way to the rear seat backrest. The driver's environment has been designed to provide good visibility and convenient control. The combined instrument too has the centre stack's floating, almost weightless feel about it and is built up in several layers.

"The speedometer is designed as a three-dimensional glass spiral. The low numbers appear closest to the eye and the figures appear to be increasingly distant as you accelerate. The idea is that the speedometer should provide a visual reminder of the forward motion," explains Steve Mattin.

Avoids collisions at speeds below 12mph
The car's speed has a significant effect on the result of a collision with a pedestrian. If speed drops from 31mph to 18mph, the chance of a pedestrian's survival increases.

"Our aim is that this new technology should help the driver avoid collisions with pedestrians at speeds below 12mph. If the car is being driven faster, the aim is to reduce the impact speed as much as possible. In most cases, we can reduce the collision force by about 75 percent," says Thomas Broberg.

This technology is also highly beneficial in the event of rear-end impacts with other vehicles. Studies indicate that half of all drivers who drive into another vehicle from behind 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 15mph.

CO₂-emissions at 119g/km
The engine that Volvo Cars has chosen for the Volvo S60 Concept is a four-cylinder 1.6-litre petrol unit using high-efficiency GTDi (Gasoline Turbocharged Direct Injection) technology and producing 180 horsepower.

In a conventional petrol engine, fuel is injected into the inlet manifold ahead of the inlet valves. With direct injection, however, the fuel is injected directly into the combustion chamber under high pressure. The engine in combination with a range of other technical measures makes it possible to cut carbon dioxide emissions to 119g/km.

Volvo Cars' first production car with GTDi technology will be introduced during the second half of 2009.

Bringing down CO₂ emissions
In addition to GTDi technology, the Volvo S60 Concept uses the following technical features to bring CO₂ emissions down to 119g/km:

• Stratified combustion. The combustion chamber is designed such that a mist consisting of the optimal blend of air and fuel is formed around the spark plug, surrounded in turn by pure air. This allows the engine to operate with a surplus of air, thus cutting fuel consumption.
• Start/stop, a functionality that switches off the engine when the car is at a standstill.
• Powershift. Two manual gearboxes work in parallel, each regulated by its own clutch.
• EPAS (Electric Power Assisted Steering). In principle an ‘electric servo’ where the conventional hydraulic pump has been replaced by an electric motor.
• ‘DRIVe-Mode’. Gives the driver the possibility of reducing fuel consumption via an ‘economy mode’ that limits the function of a number of selected electrical or mechanical systems.
• Grille shutter. A wind-deflecting panel that can be closed to reduce air drag when there is less need for cooling air.
• Flat underbody panels. 
• The use of lightweight materials in the car body.