A Glimpse of the Next-generation Volvo S60

The Volvo S60 Concept gives the world a glimpse of what the all-new Volvo S60 is going to look like when it arrives in 2010. "The all-new S60 will be one of the strongest players in a segment where the competition is razor-sharp," says Volvo Cars President and CEO Stephen Odell.

The coupe-inspired lines that gave the original S60 its characteristic stance are even more pronounced in the next generation. "The sporty design gives visual promise of an enthusiastic drive and I can assure you here and now that the all-new S60 will live up to that promise. The driving properties are better than in any previous Volvo. The car's technology will also help you to be a better and safer driver," adds Odell.

"The concept car's exterior gives a clear indication of what customers can expect of the all-new S60. On the inside we've been even more daring - there the focus has been on creating a vision of the future," says Volvo Cars Design Director Steve Mattin.

Scandinavian inspiration and drama
"Dynamic and with considerable character, but without appearing aggressive. IThe new S60 Concept is packed with inspiration from Scandinavian design and from the Swedish coastline's cliffs and seas. A thrilling blend of drama and sensuality," adds Mattin.

Viking longboats in the headlamps
The concept car's headlamps unite classic Scandinavian influences with modern high-tech. In each of the headlamps, the lights create a sculpture creating the image of two miniature Viking longboats sailing side by side, one for main beam and one for dipped beam. When driving in the dark, the light is reflected from the concealed, upward-facing high performance LED bulbs, projected ahead by the ships' filled sails.

Double wave and sensational doors
Viewed from the side, the concept car's slim coupe roof line and window graphics are accompanied by an entirely new lateral shoulder line, forming a gentle double wave. Stretching from the headlamps all the way to the tail, it adds emotional excitement and plays with the surface and its highlights.

The unique rear parallelogram doors offer a spectacular show when they are opened and shut. Door opening is initiated by pressing on a button and the movement starts off in the traditional way. In the next phase, the forward section also 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.

Inspiration from the racetrack
"In forthcoming models, you will see more and more of [Volvo's] "racetrack" design cues. The car's lines do not end abruptly but instead forge a continuous flow pattern inspired by the fast sweeps of the racing track. In the concept car, this is particularly visible at the rear," says Mattin.

With the interior of the Volvo S60 Concept, Volvo Cars' design director Steve Mattin and his team are displaying a variety of spectacular next-generation ideas. "You could say that we are showing the road we would like to take in the future. This interior is without doubt the most exclusive we have ever created," says Mattin.

The interior is packed with exciting details, all of which together create a fresh light Scandinavian feeling, full of visual harmony. In the middle of the four-seater car glitters the jewel in the crown: a floating center stack made out of handmade, solid Orrefors crystal. It floats like a gentle, calm wave from the instrument panel all the way to the rear seat backrest.

The entire driver's environment has been designed to provide total overview and convenient control. The combined instrument too has the centre stack's floating, almost weightless feel about it. The instrument 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 Mattin.

The floating theme continues in the concept car's slim, lightweight contoured seats, made of soft light blond leather with contrasting stitching. The seats are attached to the centre console's lower section and inner sill, which means that they don't actually touch the floor. Both the seat belt and the armrest are integrated into the seat itself. "The aim is to create a pleasant living-room atmosphere with gentle, invisible transfers between the various surfaces. For instance, the dark, ecologically tanned saddle leather on the floor continues up on the lower part of the door," explains Mattin.

The upper part of the doors is faced with genuine blond birch wood of the same colour as the Scandinavian coastline's salt- and sun-bleached wooden piers and driftwood. Two parallel slits create a wave-shaped protrusion whose upper section forms a comfortable leather armrest.

New technology detects pedestrians in the danger zone
The S60 Concept also presents a ground-breaking safety innovation that, among other things, can detect a pedestrian who steps out into the path of the car. The car's full braking power is automatically activated if the driver does not respond to the danger. This technology, Collision Warning with Full Auto Brake and pedestrian detection, will be introduced in the all-new Volvo S60.

The engine that Volvo Cars has chosen for the Volvo S60 Concept is a four-cylinder 1.6-liter 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 119 g/km, 5.0 l/100 km (47 mpg).

In addition to GTDi technology, the Volvo S60 Concept integrates the following technical features to bring CO2 emissions down to 119 g/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.

The XC60 is Volvo's first car to offer HD radio as standard equipment updating radio to digital quality. FM broadcast quality improves to the level of a typical CD while AM broadcast quality is improved to the prior level of FM. The XC60's standard high performance sound system includes AUX and USB inputs to allow connection and control of personal music devices such as iPodsTM, memory sticks and other media players.