Volvo is a company for 'You' to watch – now owned by China’s Geely and with talented German Stefan Jacoby as Managing Director, the Swedish giant’s products just keep getting better and better.
A perfect example is the wonderfully styled ‘You’ concept unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The You is a pointer to Volvo’s next large-size sedan and was created after initial feedback from the previous ‘Concept Universe’.
“Concept You gives a good indication of what you can expect from our next large sedan. The blend of Scandinavian design, exquisite craftsmanship and intuitive technology will appeal to luxury car buyers all over the world,” Mr Jacoby said.
According to Volvo the fastback profile of the You reflects desires of European customers and the company believes buyers in the world’s largest new car market – China – are thinking the same way.
Global growth is the course Volvo has chartered. “With our hearts in Sweden and our eyes and ears all over the world, we intend to be the brand that best interprets what buyers of modern luxury cars want,” Mr Jacoby added.
Inside is are ingenious touch screens which replace buttons and dials – even the steering wheel has aluminium and glass paddles with integrated touch screens. The touch screen in the centre console remains in ‘sleep’ mode until the driver looks at it – a hidden infra-red camera monitors the drivers’ eyes – and the driver can flipm information from the touch screen to the head-up display.
Even the sound system is cutting edge. Using Alpine technology that is not yet released commercially, the sub-woofer is a ‘FreshAir’ design which uses air from outside the car the create the listening experience. Of course the entire system is extremely compact and light weight – in the pursuit of optimized fuel consumption nothing is immune from kgs-savings.
Volvo You runs four individual seats finished in chrome-free leather from Bridge of Wear. Fronts are off-black and the rears are soft beige. Likewise the Kasthall carpets which cover the timber floor – colours fade from dark in front to light in the rear.
The 21-inch alloy wheels, grille and headlight style come from another famous Swedish brand Georg Jensen.
Make no mistake, Volvo is back to doing what it does best.
