Volvo Philippines is one with Volvo Car Corporation as it takes the next bold step in the evolution of the company's upcoming large luxury sedan. The Concept You, revealed at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, combines a sleek coupe-like exterior with a luxurious high-tech interior that keeps the driver in command via intuitive smart pad technology.
Concept gives the global car buying public another exciting glimpse of the Volvo Car Corporation's future. With a full interior, Concept You allows luxury sedan customers to fully experience the craftsmanship and intuitive technology that will be the hallmark of future Volvos.
"The new Concept You roofline stretches all the way back to the tail lamps - creating that dynamic fastback look that is very much in vogue among European car buyers at the moment," says Peter Horbury, Vice President Design at the Volvo Car Corporation.
Touch-control cockpit and pure craftsmanship
The luxurious interior of the Concept You features a blend of intuitive smart pad technology and first-class craftsmanship.
"The Concept You explores new territories in our search for the ultimate intuitive car that makes the owners manual a thing of the past. Smart phones and smart pads have brought mobile infotainment into a new era. Here, we use a number of touch-screens to replace buttons and controls in order to make the driver totally connected, totally in control. The technology also helps us to create a refreshingly uncluttered interior," explains Peter Horbury.
The Concept You control center consists of four main areas; a digital Driver Information Monitor (DIM), a head-up display on the windscreen, a touch-screen in the upper part of the center console and a touch-screen between the two individual rear seats. The wood/leather steering wheel has aluminum and glass paddles with integrated touch-screens.
The touch-screen in the upper part of the centre console remains in sleeping mode until the driver looks at it. A hidden infrared camera registers the eye movements and information is displayed on the screen.
Another sensor registers hand movements and triggers the Infotainment system's control mode. The possibilities vary depending on whether the screen is approached by the driver or by the front passenger.
"Certain functions, such as surfing the Web, are only accessible from the passenger side while the car is rolling. The technology knows who is the present operator and adapts itself automatically," says Peter Horbury.
The driver can "flip" data from the central touch-screen to the head-up display - and can exchange data with the rear passengers. A light guide in the free-floating centre console indicates file transfer.
Unique air-powered sound system*
The Infotainment system also integrates a high-end sound system from Alpine. It features the unique "FreshAir" subwoofer - a not yet released technology that uses the air outside the car to create the ultimate listening experience. The sound system consists of small, optimized units that considerably cut weight - while still producing a better sound than today's systems.
Comfortable and cultivated
The interior is dedicated to offer design-driven customers a comfortable, cultivated, Scandinavian inspired environment that is also user-focused and refreshingly uncomplicated. Every detail has been chosen with the customer experience in focus.
The interior is driver-orientated at the front and comfortably relaxed in the rear. The dynamic feel and dark color scheme in the front seats fades seamlessly towards the rear until it fully transforms into a light rear seat haven of calmness.
The rear seat passengers are embraced by pure comfort, as if their favorite lounge were magically integrated into the car. The interior moulds into the rear seat and becomes part of the seating environment. The Volvo Car Corporation has partnered with several other famous brands in order to create a genuine feeling of luxury with the right Scandinavian touch.
Leather, suede and suit fabric*
The four individual seats, inspired by ultra-comfortable chairs, blend chrome-free leather from Bridge of Wear with Dinamica ecological suede. The off-black front seats have suede in the center to create optimal grip. The soft beige rear seats are designed for pure comfort with leather in the center and suede on the sides.
The Concept You design also integrates the luxury qualities of a tailor made suit into the car. The back of the front seats and the door panels feature exclusive Italian fabric and designs from Swedish fashion house Oscar Jacobson. The designers have also been generous with large, handcrafted pieces of walnut - accompanied by leather panels, Dinamica suede roof lining and carefully chosen aluminum details.
Hand-tufted wool carpets
The wooden floor, which echoes Scandinavian homes, is covered with a specially designed hand-tufted carpet from world-famous Swedish brand Kasthall. Just like the rest of the interior it fades from dark in the front to light in the rear. The front texture has a sporty firmness, while the rear part of the carpet is luxuriously soft.
"The interior is full of classic forms, materials and textures, used with a twist to create a special contemporary luxury experience. It is exceptionally refined, yet with all the simplistic assets that make Volvo champions of the uncomplicated," explains Peter Horbury. He concludes:
"We are carving out a unique position among the luxury car makers with our special kind of Scandinavian Design. It will be unmatched in performance, technology and craftsmanship, but without superficiality or complication."
Inspiration from Georg Jensen
The Concept You is finished in a light blue, liquid metal paint from DuPont. The ventilated disc brakes are developed by Volvo's racing specialists Polestar.
The car's fast silhouette is emphasized by the 21-inch polished aluminum wheels with a twisted twin-spoke design and tires from Pirelli (275/30/21).
Up front, the Concept You grille - which has a more classic appearance than the Concept Universe - features details with the same beautifully polished craftsmanship.
"The design of the wheels, the grille and details in the innovative headlamps have been inspired by the exquisite works of world-famous Danish design house Georg Jensen. Their precious items capture the essence of Scandinavian design. Uncluttered, organic surfaces and superb craftsmanship that radiate timeless luxury," says Peter Horbury. He adds:
"This eternal beauty of Georg Jensen design is what we are aiming for with the whole concept car. Just like the finest luxury goods, this design should feel handcrafted and durable enough to stand the test of time."
The dipped beam comes from LED lamps in four "ice blocks" on top of the high beam lights. The "ice blocks" are installed with the same technology that jewelers use for mounting precious stones.
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Volvo Philippines announces Volvo Car Corporation’s effort to combine fuel-cutting start/stop technology with an automatic gearbox. The new start/stop technology, which initially is available together with the 2.0-liter D3 turbo diesel, cuts carbon dioxide (CO2) emission with 10g/km - translated into 0.4 liters less fuel consumption per 100km.
From early September 2011, the six-speed automatic gearbox with start/stop becomes available in the D3 versions of four Volvo models: S60, V60, V70 and S80.
"Continuously reducing CO2 emissions from conventional powertrains is an important part of our DRIVe Towards Zero emissions. It is the most effective way to cut CO2 throughout our model range in the short term. This work is running parallel with our innovative focus on electrification technologies," says Peter Mertens, Senior Vice President Research and Development at Volvo Car Corporation.
Combining start/stop with automatic gearbox is a larger technology challenge than the manual start/stop version already available in most Volvo models. The engine must restart instantly when the driver moves the right foot from the brake pedal to the accelerator.
Agile response
"We have focused on achieving the same agile feeling as you get with today's conventional automatic. The response is so seamless that it feels like the car starts accelerating immediately when the engine restarts," explains Peter Mertens.
The technology uses brake pressure measurement to trigger when to stop and start the engine. The start/stop system is programmed to shut down the engine immediately when the car reaches a standstill (0km/h). An electric pump keeps oil pressure up in the automatic gearbox while the engine is stopped. The system also includes an improved starter engine.
Downsized five-cylinder engine
The two-liter D3 produces 163hp and 400Nm of torque. The five-cylinder 2-liter turbo diesel was introduced 2010 in the all-new Volvo S60. It is now available throughout Volvo Car Corporation's model range.
The five-cylinder D3 is in principle the same engine as the well-established 2.4-liter diesel, but its displacement has been reduced with a shorter stroke to optimize fuel consumption.
The piezoelectric fuel injectors minimize consumption with exceptionally rapid and precise injection pulses under high pressure. This promotes extremely efficient combustion. In order to give the car better driving properties, the turbocharger has been fine-tuned to provide high torque from low revs.
Lower fuel consumption
Fuel consumption and CO2 emissions (EU Combined) with automatic gearbox and start/stop is now down to:
S60 5.4L/100 km 142g/km
V60 5.7L/100 km 149g/km
V70 5.7L/100 km 149g/km
S80 5.6L/100 km 148g/km
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