Volvo announced today that it plans to reveal a new concept car at next week's Frankfurt Motor show. This new study, pictures of which have not yet been released, will highlight the Swedish company’s new downsized engine range, which will feature only four-cylinder gasoline and diesel engines. “It’s time to stop counting cylinders”, said Volvo’s Senior Vice President for Research and Development, Peter Martens. “The concept we will reveal at Frankfurt proves that downsized engines can go hand in hand with our customers’ expectations on luxury and driving pleasure.”
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The partnership between the two companies will focus on electric drive technology, power electronics, charging technology and the integration of all those systems in Volvo’s existing C30 Electric project.
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Volvo is taking measures to solve this problem and make its EVs attractive to the public by adding an extra 1,000 km (621 miles) to their range. The solution, which has also been adopted by other models such as the Chevrolet Volt and the Audi A1 E-Tron concept, is the addition of a “range extender” internal combustion engine.
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While Volvo did not release any technical details on the Concept Universe, the fact that it measures less than 5 meters in length points at a design study for a replacement for the firm’s S80 sedan and not a larger, Mercedes-Benz S-Class rival that the Swedish company’s Chinese owner Geely has been recently talking about.
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This is why Volvo is trying out its C30 Electric model in the north of Sweden, inside the Arctic Circle. Temperatures as low as -20 degrees Celsius are something normal in this part of the world, so Volvo engineers want to ensure the battery-powered car runs smoothly even in harsh environments.
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Pegged as the world's first diesel plug-in hybrid, the eco-friendly V60 is the result of close co-operation between Volvo Cars and Swedish energy supplier Vattenfall, and it promises to offer low fuel consumption and CO2 levels, combined with long range and high performance.
A well known Swedish truck racing ace, Boije Ovebrink, is going to be the one to drive the hybrid and he's already very confident of a positive outcome. "I'd go so far as to say that 'Mean Green' is the world's fastest hybrid truck," Mr. Ovebrink said.
They partnered up with Powercell Sweden AB (with backing from the Swedish Energy Agency) and hope that the Volvo C30 DRIVe Electric will be ready for testing on the road by 2012.
The idea behind the project is to create the ultimate C30 without being halted by specific race regulations. The concept includes a 400-horsepower engine, all-wheel-drive, and aerodynamics based on Polestar's race car data.
The Swedes first showed us an electric C30 prototype in September 2009. Aside from being based on the facelift C30, the Detroit Show model has been further refined and now features both a complete interior and full instrumentation, as well as enhanced battery packaging.
"The first prototype helped us identify the main technological challenges, such as battery packaging and safety issues." said Lennart Stegland, Director of Volvo Cars Special Vehicles.
"We have addressed these challenges without compromising the C30's cool and fun-to-drive personality. I am very happy with the result. The electric C30 in Detroit is a much more complete product," Stegland concluded.
The latest plug-in C30 uses an electric motor fitted under the bonnet while the Lithium-Ion batteries (24 kWh) are installed in the propshaft tunnel and in the space normally occupied by the fuel tank, outside the passenger compartment and away from the deformations zones for safety reasons.
The Lithium-Ion batteries that can be recharged via either a regular household power socket or special roadside charging stations. The Swedes said that a full recharge takes about eight hours
The three-door hatchback has a top speed of about 130 km/h or 81 mph, while Volvo said that it can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph (96km/h) in less than 11 seconds. The car's driving range is up to 150 km or 94 mile, which Volvo claims covers the daily transport needs of more than 90 percent of all motorists in Europe.
Aside from the special graphics, colors and wheels, the electric C30 looks no different on the outside than a regular C30 while inside, the most obvious changes concern the new trim, revised instrument panel and the new gear selector.
One of the most exciting concept cars at the 2009 Detroit auto show which runs for two weeks from January 11, is the Volvo S60 Concept that provides a preview of the production model that will follow in 2010. If you hit the jump you can see the first official video of the compact sports sedan that includes the usual exterior shots as well as a short film of the S60's innovative crystal centre stack being created at Swedish glassworks Orrefors' workshop. For more details and high-resolution pictures of the Volvo S60 sport sedan concept click here to view our previous post.
These are the first images of the Volvo S60 Concept car which will be unveiled at the Detroit Motor Show in early January 2009. According to the Swedish automaker, the concept gives an indication of what the all-new Volvo S60 will look like when it's launched in 2010. Even though the production model will be less dramatic than the prototype, it is clear that the S60 will be a distinct proposition in the compact executive sedan segment. The Swedes wisely opted for a four-door coupe look for the S60 as it differentiates their proposal from established rivals such as the Audi A4, BMW 3-Series and the Mercedes C-Class.
"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," says Volvo Cars Design Director Steve Mattin. One of the concept's most prominent features but one that will not pass into production is the lack of a B-pillar and the rear parallelogram doors that open by pressing a button. The doors pop out and glide parallel with the side of the car until they reach their end position by the rear wheel.
Another interesting detail concerns the headlamps as the lights create a silhouette of two miniature Viking longboats sailing side by side, one for main beam and one for dipped beam.
With a four-seat layout, the S60 Concept's cabin features the firm's trademark floating center stack which was created out of handmade, solid Orrefors crystal. The speedometer is designed as a three-dimensional glass spiral with the low numbers appear closest to the eye and the figures appear to be increasingly distant as the driver accelerates. Overall, the interior boasts a fresh and relatively uncluttered styling.
The engine that Volvo has chosen for the S60 Concept is a new four-cylinder 1.6-litre petrol unit which uses high-efficiency GTDi (Gasoline Turbocharged Direct Injection) technology producing an output of 180 HP. The Swedes claim that this engine in combination with a range of other technical measures makes it possible to cut carbon dioxide emissions to 119 g/km with an average consumption of just 5.0 l/100 km (47.0mpg US).
Volvo's first production car with GTDi technology will be introduced during the second half of 2009.
As a true Volvo, the S60 is also packed with several safety gadgets including a new technology that can detect a pedestrian who steps out into the path of the car automatically activating the car's full braking power if the driver does not respond to the danger. The technology, Collision Warning with Full Auto Brake and pedestrian detection, will be introduced in the production S60.
