Volvo's concept car points to a new flagship four-door with new design language and interior function.
Hey, that face looks quite familiar ...
For Volvo fans with a vivid memory of the 1960s, that visage has been inspired by the PV544, with features such as the curved line on the bonnet, small lights and rectangular grille.
This design exercise is part of Volvo's latest concept car called Universe that wooed showgoers at last month's Shanghai motor show. The Swedes chose that location because their owner is now Chinese, and people in the Middle Kingdom love big saloons.
That's quite a radical departure from today's theme ...
Uh-huh, especially if you consider the design language in today's XC60 and S60 _ two particular Volvos that are standing out from the rest with their sleek profiles and slanting headlamps.
The Universe's rear end, however, doesn't really seem to err away too much, just that the tail lamps have evolved with more elegance.
Touch-screen monitors are set to become new norm.
Elegance. Is this a preview of an S-class rival?
You might be inclined to think so, especially when you consider that Volvo lacks a rival for the Audi A8, BMW 7-series and Mercedes-Benz S-class. In other words, there's no luxury saloon above the S80 executive car, which rivals the A6, 5-series and E-class.
But Volvo bosses recently told the media that an S-class rival, presumably to be called S90, is unlikely. This actually makes sense because a Volvo with prices matching the S-class (above 7 million baht in Thailand) should be quite difficult for potential clients to fathom.
So the Universe points to the next S80?
It should do. Let's not forget that today's second-generation S80 has already passed mid-life, so an all-new replacement should already be completed _ if shareholders have approved funding.
The S80 should be big enough to satisfy buyers in the real-world. Luxury barges like the S or Seven may serve as technology beds and symbol statements for the rich, but they are too extravagant these days when the world is going green and small (read: downsizing).
One more thing: the S80 is already good enough to yield a long wheelbase version in China called S80L. The A6, 5-series and E-class also have stretched bodies in that particular Asian country.
The rear has less radical looks than the front.
The Universe's interior looks opulent enough for chauffeur-driven car owners ...
Uh-huh, and note how Volvo deliberately made it a 2+2 _ a seating matrix that can be found in the long wheelbase A8, 7-series and LS from Lexus.
The cool thing, though, with the Universe's cabin are the touchscreen panels, especially the one up front that approaches the driver when needed. Today's Volvos generally have a tidy fascia layout; the Universe's should nicely take the game to the next level.
Is there any chance of seeing the S80L in Thailand?
At the moment, such cars are only restricted to the Chinese market. In theory, they should make sense in Thailand where the S-class and its ilk are so expensive to buy. Wouldn't you prefer a 5 million baht or less limo?
To see whether such cars will ever come to Thai shores, Life once forwarded this question to the big bosses of Mercedes-Benz Thailand. The answer was quite straightforward: a stretched E-class would steal shares from the S-class (the latter with bigger margins, of course).
Over to you, Volvo.
Credit: Bangkok Post (www.bangkokpost.com)
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