Your Concept Car - a project with women in the driver’s seat

Your Concept Car - a project with women in the driver’s seat

The female perspective was at the core of the YCC project from the outset and that was exactly the way Volvo Car Corporation wanted it to be. A concept car project started, inspired and managed by women. One in which women always had the final say.

Camilla Palmertz, Project Manager

"Our aim is that you should feel great in this car."

Camilla Palmertz (born 1967) has been with the YCC project from the time when the idea arose. She joined Volvo in 1995 and her positions with the company have included responsibility for the biomechanical aspects of crash-test analysis. Her past projects have included the Inflatable Curtain safety system and the development of the pregnant crash-test dummy.

Storage solutions were a key aspect of the YCC project for Camilla Palmertz. She thinks it is important to be able to carry a lot in the back seat of a car and that it should be easy to load and unload. The YCC’s gull-wing doors and fold-down back seats have been instrumental in meeting this requirement.

Eva-Lisa Andersson, Project Manager

"A car is a very technical product. Still, your buy is based on emotions."

Eva-Lisa Andersson (born 1958) undertook the joint leadership of the project with Camilla Palmertz. She has been with Volvo since 1985. Immediately before the YCC project, she was Project Director, Concept, for a Volvo model still in development.

As she sees it, a car should make life easier, not more complicated. For her, storage and ergonomics have been particularly important aspects of the YCC’s development. She is also proud of the fact that the YCC has successfully combined sportiness with elegance.

Elna Holmberg, Technical Project Manager

"A car is your choice. Therefore it is very important that you can put your demands and wishes into it."

Dr Elna Holmberg (born 1960) was responsible for the technical development of the YCC. Her previous work at Volvo has included aerodynamics and chassis development for new models.

For her, the most important aspect in the development of the YCC was giving high priority to functions which are important to the customer and finding simple, smart solutions. She is particularly pleased with the entry solutions and the Ergovision system, both of which she sees as being central to the YCC’s individuality and strong customer focus.

Maria Widell Christiansen, Design Manager

"We are convinced that this car also, definitely, appeals to men."

Maria Widell Christiansen (born 1959) joined Volvo in 1986. In this project, she has held overall administrative responsibility for the design team of 25 staff. Throughout the project, she went to great lengths to draw on all the concept car expertise at Volvo to ensure the success of the YCC. She sees the idea of offering a range of interchangeable seat tops and carpets as the most extraordinary thing about the YCC - a whole new dimension for the car industry and an idea which extends our conception of what a car is.

Tatiana Butovitsch Temm, Communications Manager

"The hallmark of a good idea is that people ask why this hasn't been done before."

Besides having responsibility for PR and project information, Tatiana Butovitsch Temm (born 1961) has co-ordinated communication within the project itself and looked at the features from a communicative aspect. Another task is to make sure the YCC gets shown to the world and the reactions collected and brought back to Volvo Car Corporation. She is particularly pleased with the Autopark system that makes your life easier and makes you look good at the same time. She has worked at Volvo since 1989, prior to the YCC in Safety Communication and as a managing editor.

Lena Ekelund, Deputy Technical Project Manager

"In the YCC, we have retained our focus on customer needs, not compromised it in favour of flashy technical solutions."

Lena Ekelund (born 1962) shared responsibility for the technical side of the project and for co-ordinating the design engineering team with Elna Holmberg. She has been with Volvo since 1986, working as a design engineer and in project management. She considers the real strength of the YCC project has been that it remained focused on customer needs. Frequently, the solutions needed were relatively simple, such as adapting the head restraint to accommodate a pony-tail and the eye symbol to indicate optimum line of vision. A driving force in Lena’s work is the idea that ingenuity and simplicity go hand in hand.

Anna Rosén, Exterior Designer

"We wanted to create a beautiful car. Not brutal, but tough."

Anna Rosén (born 1976) was responsible for the YCC’s exterior design. She aimed throughout to make it just as appealing as possible. The pragmatic elements were there from the outset, so Anna’s task was to combine them with a look that would make the YCC irresistible. In her view, design must arouse emotions, because buying a car always involves an emotional response.

Anna Rosén joined Volvo in 2002. Before the YCC project she worked with Volvo design strategy.

Cynthia Charwick, Interior Designer

"The first impression you get of the car is a feeling of grace and space."

Cynthia Charwick (born 1957) has previously worked on the interior design of both concept cars and production models. She first started work at Volvo in 1981. Key objectives in her work on the YCC were to free up more space in the car for storage and to make it as convenient and uncomplicated as possible. The fact that this was such a strongly customer-oriented project, based on what women said they wanted, added a whole new dimension for her.

Maria Uggla, Colour and Trim Designer

"One way of being in control is that you have the opportunity to influence your environment."

Maria Uggla (born 1962) has worked at Volvo since 2001. Her past projects include Colour and Trim for the new S40 and V50 and work at the concept stage for other models in development. Her responsibilities in the YCC project included that of ensuring harmony between the exterior styling and the car interior, through a judicious choice of colours, materials and lighting.

"I wanted to achieve a light interior in the Scandinavian tradition, using honest materials and unexpected solutions."

One very important aspect of the project was to make the YCC more personal and individual. Here the customer has the choice of eight switchable upholstery options, each with its own carpet to match, including materials more normally associated with home interiors - like wool and linen.

50220/TBT