Frankfurt Live - Volvo Concept Coupe sets the brand's new design direction

10/09/2013 - 15:45 Volvo Concept Coupe, Volvo, 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show Nithyanandh K

The veil came off the Volvo Concept Coupe here at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show this afternoon.

The two-door sports concept is termed by the company as the next generation Volvo P1800, a popular sportscar that was sold in the 1960's.

The sportscar concept is the first of the three concepts that will be unveiled in due course to demonstrate the design possibilities of the new Scalable Platform Architecture (SPA). The Concept Coupe is underpinned by the SPA which will form the base for every future Volvo starting from the 60 series (S60, XC60, S80 etc.).

Being the first project of the newly appointed senior vice president of design, Thomas Ingenlath, the Concept Coupe previews the brand's future design language. The design boss says that the brand's 'vanilla days' are behind them and the new design direction, while not flashy like other brands, carries more emotion.

The aggressive chrome finished grille with vertical slats and the trademark Volvo diagonal strip, the narrow headlamps with 'T' shaped LED guide lights and the razor sharp bumper summarize the car's front. The profile is characterized by a long bonnet, a curvy roofline and a short rear overhang.

The simple and functional interior is trimmed in leather with aluminium inserts and chrome accents. The centre console is devoid of buttons and is fully occupied by a large touchscreen.

The Concept Coupe is powered by a 2.0-litre four cylinder petrol engine backed by an electric motor on the rear axle to produce a V8-rivaling combined output of 400bhp and 600 Nm of torque.

The next gen Volvo XC90 will be the first model to don the new design.

Head over to the next page to read more details from the press release