LESS IS MORE

The model of Scandinavian design, Volvo cars are the perfect balance of art and technology. So even when they’re at their most beautifully simple, they’re still simply beautiful.

Reconciling form and function for over 70 years.

Our design philosophy.

The future is here. And it’s stunning.

A History of Design

When Functional is Beautiful

Welcome to the Concept Lab

A HISTORY OF DESIGN

And you thought it was just our current range that looked stylish. From our legendary P1800 right through to our more contemporary cars, we've always put design in focus. Why not take a journey back in time?

Iconic Volvos

The Saint’s Volvo P1800

Volvo PV60, 1940

Volvo P1900 Sport, 1956-1957

Volvo P121, 1958

Volvo 1800 S, 1964

Volvo 144, 1973

Volvo 262C, 1979

Volvo 740 Turbo, 1985

Volvo 850 T5 R, 1995

Volvo XC90, 2005

Volvo C70, 2006

Philip, 1952

BESC (Volvo Experimental Safety Car), 1972

Volvo Electric Car, 1977

Tundra, 1979

ECC (Environmental Concept Car), 1992

PCC2 (Performance Concept Car), 2001

ACC2 (Adventure Concept Car), 2002

3CC (3 Concept Car), 2004

Dashing. Dynamic. Debonair. The Volvo P1800 put even a celebrity in the shade. In total, Volvo supplied the producers of “The Saint” with five P1800 models for use on the show. Four were used for filming, with one even chopped up to allow better interior shots. And – as a testament to the P1800’s popularity – the fifth became Roger Moore’s own, personal car. Thirty years on, the P1800, coupe and sportswagon, are still two of the motoring world’s most stylish icons, and their distinctive design is reflected in the beautiful curves of the new Volvo C30.

WHEN FUNCTIONAL IS BEAUTIFUL

'Good design is not only a matter of styling the surface. It is just as important to make the product easy to understand and use. If the product is not functional, it can’t be beautiful.'

THE VOLVO CAR CORPORATION DESIGN PHILOSOPHY

The philosophy in practice

Beautifully safe

Anthropometry, Ergonomics and the Design of Volvo

Scandinavian design is not only defined by high levels of craftsmanship, but also by elegant simplicity and functionalism. Function has always been as important as looks in Scandinavia, and for Volvo this means placing both beauty and safety at the heart of our design process.

Anthropometry (noun): the study of human sizes. What’s that got to do with designing a new Volvo? In a word, everything. By making sure a car “fits” the person behind the wheel we can make sure it’s more comfortable and, crucially, safer. That’s why our Volvo SCC Concept Car features infra-red sensors to locate your eyes, which automatically adjusts the seat, pedals and controls to give you the clearest, safest view of the road ahead. And that means in the event of an accident you won’t be too close to the airbag or steering column.

Who says curves and angles don’t mix?

Think it looks great? Wait until you feel it.

Metal folds on metal in a robotic ballet.

Some doors just beg to be opened.

Clear. Uncluttered. Immediately communicative

Why use a dozen buttons where one will do?

WELCOME TO THE CONCEPT LAB

Much more than just a designer's playground, our Concept Lab has inspired countless features available in other current Volvo models – not to mention our forthcoming Volvo C30.

SCC

VCC

YCC

3CC

Concept Cars History

The Volvo SCC (Safety Concept Car) You’re looking at more than seventy years of safety expertise compressed into one visionary machine. The Volvo Safety Concept Car was built to showcase our innovative preventative and protective safety systems – more than 50 of which are currently in use on production line cars. Semi transparent A and B pillars, 4 point seat-belts, vertically adjustable rear seats…all revolutionary, all life-saving.

The Volvo VCC (Versatility Concept Car) Who says you can’t produce a premium car while still remaining true to the values of safety, quality and environmental care? We call it “smarter luxury.” But with innovations like its intelligent, slim-stack vertical headlamps, a trunk containing chilled and heated compartments and the ability to connect to your entertainment library at home, you can call it a business-class car that truly looks the business.

The Volvo YCC (Your Concept Car) “If you meet the expectations of women, you exceed the expectations of men.” Marti Barletta, Gender Trend Specialist If that’s the case, who better than an all-female team of eight designers could conceive the perfect car for modern life? The result is the YCC, Your Concept Car, a coupe that balances beauty with practicality, durability with innovative technology. And exceed expectations it has. Since its unveiling at the Geneva Motorshow in 2004, it’s generated 2.3 column kilometres of media coverage and won the coveted “Design S” Swedish Design Award in 2006.

The Volvo 3CC If you’re going to combat global warming, make it look cool. The Volvo 3CC concept car not only underlines our longterm commitment to sustainable mobility, it also packs 220Nm of torque courtesy of an 80kW AC motor – delivering a 0 to 100km/h of just 10 seconds. All of which adds up to a car that’s environmentally and driver-friendly.

Visit the Concept Lab

http://campaigns.volvocars.com/AboutVolvo/ConceptLab/ConceptLabVolvo.htm

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Did You Know?

Flame-resistant

The door handles of a Volvo S60, V70 and XC70 are designed so that they can be opened by someone wearing flame-resistant gloves. Just in case.

Design centres

Volvo Cars has three design centres: in Sweden (Göteborg), Spain (Barcelona) and the USA (Camarillo), each with its own special competence, focus and mission.

Your Concept Car

Volvo Cars' YCC (Your Concept Car) was designed by an all-women team, and has won several design awards.

Inscription

Volvo Cars offers exclusive Inscription interiors for the S60, V70 and XC90 – the highly personal design choice.

Swedish Design Award

The Volvo XC90 won the Swedish Design Award in 2003.

[subtitle start:00:12 stop:00:16] The YCC is aimed at the most demanding of customers: [subtitle start:00:17 stop:00:20] The independent woman in the premium segment. [subtitle start:00:219 stop:00:27] She wants everything that men want, when it comes to performance, style and status [subtitle start:00:28 stop:00:30] -- but she wants even more.