SUV Concept Thrusts Volvo into a Hot New Market

Following on the heels of its shapely C30 compact car, Volvo will continue to aim at the style-conscious, well-heeled urban consumer with its XC60 concept, a compact SUV that will be revealed at next month’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The concept is essentially a preview of the vehicle Volvo plans to introduce for the 2009 model year, and will be available in showrooms early that year. The XC60 will mark Volvo’s entry into the quickly growing — and increasingly crowded — small, premium SUV segment, which includes the Acura RDX and BMW X3.

Stylistically, the XC60 follows the C30’s lead toward shapelier, sleeker designs — a departure from boxier looks of Volvos past. Contour lines are more aggressive from head to tail, part of Design Director Steve Mattin’s charge to sex up Volvo’s staid image. Along with the body’s more-dynamic lines, the SUV’s rear design features stacked taillights and a trapezoidal tailgate where upper and lower sections can be opened independently of one another. Up top, the vehicle’s transparent roof is composed of a wide expanse of tinted glass supported by a Y-shaped structural support. In front, Volvo branding gets a boost with an oversize badge, which will be incorporated on future Volvos, as well.

Inside the vehicle, sleek design cues from the C30 include a white, floating, touch-screen-based center console, a thin design that curves from the upper dash to the floor and was inspired by Apple’s iPod. The interface would operate via screen touches, and all buttons, controls and displays would be hidden if not in use. It will remain to be seen whether these digital controls make it to the 2009 production model.

Volvo says the XC60 will include the company’s recently announced City Safety system, an advanced automated braking system that can sense and avoid impending low-speed rear-end collisions. City Safety uses an optical radar system embedded in the upper windshield of the car to sense the distance to the car ahead of it, and it can signal the car to automatically apply its brakes if necessary. Read more about it here.

Volvo has not released technical specs for the guts of the XC60, but its mechanical systems are rumored to be based on those of the Land Rover LR2. More details should come when the concept is unveiled at the Detroit show in January.