Sleek and sexy are words that are rarely associated with Volvos. Rather, the name volvo generally conjures up adjectives such as safe and secure. Yet, the 2009 Volvo S60 concept seeks to change that notion and instead prove that a Volvo can be both safe and sexy.The concept ditches the brand's aged Scandinavian design in favor of the bold styling of the handsome XC60 crossover. In front, there is a strong upward stance, thanks to the angle of the trapezoidal grille and lower air intakes. The LED headlights are modeled to look like miniature Viking longboats sailing up into the V-shaped hood.The front doors open conventionally while the rears are electronic and swing out then slide rearward. The roofline is low and the beltline is high for that coupe-like sedan profile made popular by the Mercedes Benz CLS. The car's lines follow a "race track" theme as they continue smoothly throughout the body instead of ending abruptly. Volvo says it plans to implement this type of styling into future models and we couldn't approve more.Inside, the concept seats four along a floating crystal center console that runs from front to back. The slim leather seats are actually cantilevered from the center stack, and both the armrest and seatbelt are integrated to give the appearance that everything is hovering. The instrument cluster continues the floating theme and houses a unique speedometer where low numbers appear farther away. The intention is to give the driver a reminder of forward motion, as if looking out the windshield would not suffice. Sleek and sexy are words that are rarely associated with Volvos. Rather, the name volvo generally conjures up adjectives such as safe and secure. Yet, the 2009 Volvo S60 concept seeks to change that notion and instead prove that a Volvo can be both safe and sexy.The concept ditches the brand's aged Scandinavian design in favor of the bold styling of the handsome XC60 crossover. In front, there is a strong upward stance, thanks to the angle of the trapezoidal grille and lower air intakes. The LED headlights are modeled to look like miniature Viking longboats sailing up into the V-shaped hood.The front doors open conventionally while the rears are electronic and swing out then slide rearward. The roofline is low and the beltline is high for that coupe-like sedan profile made popular by the Mercedes Benz CLS. The car's lines follow a "race track" theme as they continue smoothly throughout the body instead of ending abruptly. Volvo says it plans to implement this type of styling into future models and we couldn't approve more.Inside, the concept seats four along a floating crystal center console that runs from front to back. The slim leather seats are actually cantilevered from the center stack, and both the armrest and seatbelt are integrated to give the appearance that everything is hovering. The instrument cluster continues the floating theme and houses a unique speedometer where low numbers appear farther away. The intention is to give the driver a reminder of forward motion, as if looking out the windshield would not suffice.
Next month in Detroit, the Volvo S60 Concept will serve up a teaser for the 2010 production sedan that'll likely debut later in the show season. The S60 Concept demonstrates that Volvo's new sedan will ditch the rather conservative duds it currently wears in favor of a new, much more aggressive visual ensemble. Profile views show off a coupe-ish roofline, while pointed headlights extend back onto the fenders and flank a reshaped, more detailed grille up front. The concept's rear is similarly detailed, with LED taillamps that hide the various signal colors until they are actually illuminated.
Inside, the cabin is predictably heavy on the typical concept stuff -- modern-looking seats, light colors and crystalline accents -- while still hinting at the next S60's instrumentation layout. Interesting features include a shifter that's left horizontal when the car is cruising in automatic mode, but can be flipped up for a better grip when the driver wants to select gears manually. The S60 Concept has no B-pillar and features truck rear doors that open outward and slide back out of the way so that showgoers can better ogle the fancy interior. Don't expect anything of the sort to make it to production.
Safety features, as you would expect, are also prevalent. The S60 Concept gives us our first look at Volvo's Collision Warning with Full Auto Brake, which will make its debut on the production car. The system uses radar, a camera, and a control unit to effectively eliminate low-speed pedestrian collisions (at speeds under 12 mph or so) and drastically reduce the force of impact in scenarios involving higher speeds. The system, which allows for full braking power to be employed in emergency, collision-imminent situations without driver input, should help cut down on rear-end crashes as well. Volvo's Active Cruise Control system has also been upgraded; it now maintains the car's distance from the vehicle ahead right down to a stop, adding low-speed functionality that was previously unavailable.
Power comes from a GTDi (gasoline turbocharged direct-injection) four-cylinder making around 179 horsepower mated to a Powershift dual-clutch gearbox. An additional suite of efficiency features, including start/stop functionality, a "DRIVe" economy mode, and various aerodynamic enhancements, helps deliver fuel economy in the neighborhood of 47mpg while keeping CO2 emissions under 120 g/km. Hopefully, all that goodness makes its way into the production car as well. Volvo says that its first car featuring GTDi "will appear in 2009." In any case, we should learn more next month when the Detroit show (or what's left of it, anyway) gets rolling.
[ Via: Autoblog (Volvo) ]
[ Tag: 2010 volvo s60, 2010VolvoS60, breaking, collision warning with full auto brake, CollisionWarningWithFullAutoBrake, detroit auto show, detroit-2008, detroit2008, DetroitAutoShow, naias, naias 2008, Naias2008, s60, s60 concept, S60Concept, volvo ]
Filed under: Car Buying, Maintenance, Volvo
It's our pleasure to announce that the economic downturn is responsible for something you might actually want, other than cheap gas: Volvo is offering free maintenance for three years or 36,000 miles on all 2009 models. Volvo ran the program most recently until 2006. But with sales in the tank, Volvo dealers have been pleading with Volvo to bring it back in a bid to get more customers. Volvo higher ups finally agreed, and dealers think that this will help a potential customer choose Volvo over another make, especially a domestic, if she knows she won't be on the hook for creaks and leaks. BMW, Land Rover, MINI, and Saab also have free maintenance programs, and VW has started the program for its 2009 models. Now if only Volvo offered the S60 Concept with free maintenance...
[ Via: Autoblog (Volvo) ]
[ Tag: ]
It's our pleasure to announce that the economic downturn is responsible for something you might actually want, other than cheap gas: Volvo is offering free maintenance for three years or 36,000 miles on all 2009 models. Volvo ran the program most recently until 2006. But with sales in the tank, Volvo dealers have been pleading with Volvo to bring it back in a bid to get more customers. Volvo higher ups finally agreed, and dealers think that this will help a potential customer choose Volvo over another make, especially a domestic, if she knows she won't be on the hook for creaks and leaks. BMW, Land Rover, MINI, and Saab also have free maintenance programs, and VW has started the program for its 2009 models. Now if only Volvo offered the S60 Concept with free maintenance...
[ Via: Autoblog (Volvo) ]
[ Tag: ]
It may not be the same as attending the event in-person, but a live, interactive webcast of Volvo's press conference at the Detroit Auto Show, where the S60 concept and production XC60 for North America will be shown, could be the next best thing. The broadcast is intended for media types and members of the press, but the fact that it's being aired on DirecTV (channel 101, January 11 at 5:30 - 6:30 PM ET) means that anybody with a television and the satellite service can watch it live. Alternatively, users can register for a password to the online site, the location of which is not yet determined.
The coolest bit of tech that's making an appearance for this event is the capability to send questions to a live host who will then relay selected inquiries to key Volvo executives. These days, the global economic downturn is affecting everyone, including those who would normally cover these events for the media. This being the case and assuming the event is a success, we'd expect to more manufacturers to adopt a similar system at upcoming auto shows. Of course, we'll be there live and you can always direct your browsers to our pages for the best coverage available.
[ Via: Autoblog (Volvo) ]
[ Tag: detroit 2009, detroit auto show, Detroit2009, DetroitAutoShow, volvo, volvo detroit auto show, volvo s60, volvo s60 concept, volvo xc60, VolvoDetroitAutoShow, VolvoS60, VolvoS60Concept, VolvoXc60 ]
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