Volvo Concept XC Coupe shows the sexier side of Swedish design hatches

 Volvo is about to embark upon a design revolution.

Under new design leadership and enjoying a new lease on life under Chinese parent company Geely, Volvo has introduced the second of a trio of concept cars intended to show the sexier side of Swedish car design, NY Daily News reported.

Unlike the slinky, low-slung two-door Concept Coupe, the Concept XC Coupe is a three-door crossover hatchback, riding on massive 21-inch wheels and wearing cool white paint with alluring splashes of orange paint peeking out here and there. A custom-designed cargo cover on top portends the sporting lifestyle of its driver. Dove gray matte rubber used for numerous trim pieces, as well as the entire back end of the car, is super cool in concept (which makes it perfect for a concept car, of course) but we expect would collect scuffs quicker than your favorite white tennis shoes—we shudder to think of keeping it clean in the winter.

While the light matte stuff may or may not be fit for production, there are plenty of design elements—also found on the pretty Concept

Coupe, incidentally—that absolutely are. The sideways-T LED daytime running lights, for example, will make it across the lineup as each model is redesigned over the next two to three years. Ditto the proud, chrome-ringed “floating” horizontal grille and the wide, seamless hood. And the Concept XC Coupe’s taillamps nonetheless preview the cool rear light signature that will grace the derrieres of Volvo’s upcoming wagons and crossovers.

Less obvious but just as significant is the considerable distance between the front wheel axle and the dashboard, an aspect of the new Scalable Product Architecture (“SPA”) that will be shared by all upcoming Volvos for the foreseeable future. Why is that important? Visually, its pushes the front wheels forward, making for an elegant, long hood proportion while making room for mechanical bits and optimally located crash structures beneath the skin. The Concept Coupe also featured this, and we surmise that the next concept car in the series will, too.


While it is doubtful that an SUV with just three doors and four seats would make much sense to Volvo as a production model,just add another door opening on each side and you have a challenger to the Mercedes-Benz GLK, Acura RDX, and BMW X1, to name a few.

Volvo’s new design direction, at least as indicated by the Concept Coupe and the Concept XC Coupe, adds “emotional value to the Volvo brand with the calm, confident beauty that is the hallmark of Scandinavian design,” says Volvo’s design chief Thomas Ingenlath.

We don’t know yet what the third and final concept is going to be but you can expect that it will appear by summer, likely at the Geneva Motor Show in March, or the New York Auto Show in April. The first production model to wear Volvo’s slick new look will be the 2016 XC90, due to arrive early next year.