New face defines Volvo

Volvo’s new XC90 may debut the new ‘face’ of the brand, but don’t expect cookie-cutter models across the range.

That’s the message from Volvo’s boss of design, Thomas Ingenlath, the executive charged with re-energising the Swedish marque’s styling and design language as it embarks on an unprecedented model renewal.

The new XC will be the oldest model in Volvo’s range by the end of 2018 and replaces a car that was itself 13 years old. It debuts a new grille, a new Volvo ‘iron mark’ logo, striking lighting configuration and a whole new interior language.

But that doesn’t mean it’s the pattern that all future Volvos will follow, says former Skoda head of design, Ingenlath.

“Two elements are kind of set and fixed [in the new design language] and we don’t, you know, mess around with that,” Ingenlath told motoring.com.au.

"[They are] Our grille, how the icon of our brand sits there, and how, on the other hand, the high tech element — the Thor’s Hammer and LED [daytime running lamp] — signature is…

"These two elements will be throughout the range in our cars, [but] not necessarily of course in that [same] dimension,” he stated.

“The XC90 is indeed a big imposing car, so [those elements] has to scale in a way…. Now, I use the word scale, but we definitely don’t want to just scale all the other elements [in new models],” Ingenlath explained.

Ingenlath says cookie-cutter cars are not on Volvo’s agenda – any more. Future smaller XC models and other new Volvos will all have distinctive characters but will be linked by the key brand design ‘icons’ he asserts.

“It [scaling] is a trap that I think car design has stepped into in the last decade, and we definitely don’t want to do such a mistake.

"And, because we have these two strong elements, I think that’s a big advantage… You give the car the Volvo identity through them, and all the rest is actually much more free.

Ingenlath says categorically that the next-gen XC60 will not simply be a smaller XC90.

“That incredible stance of this [new] car, this really upright window, is indeed the very specific XC90 stately expression. Of course, the XC60 is much more of a dynamic car, and the future of the XC60 will build on that type of character.”

“Do we always have to shape the bonnet like that [referring to XC90]? No, of course not. That is where these two elements do already the job of the family look, and then you are much more free in expressing a different type of characters with a different type of vehicles,” Ingenlath explained.

Interior design will follow a similar philosophy, he says.

“We have a very clear architecture with our portrait screen and that kind of interactions, and that is indeed an element that we will share throughout our range.

“But looking at XC90 and the type of people we address with such a type of SUV, obviously, that is a different type of crowd than we would address and will address with the new [generation] S60. So, definitely, the interior as well will express different types of characters.”

Portrayed as the car that debuts the ‘new’ Volvo, the XC90 also debuts a new version of the ‘Iron Mark’ Volvo logo. Ingenlath is a fan of the heritage attached to the symbol and the diagonal ‘flash’ that adorned Volvo grilles of old. He says there was never any doubt in his mind that the elements would regain pride of place on the company’s cars.

“When I entered the company there was indeed the discussion about does Volvo really need a diagonal slash on the front? Coming to a brand with this history, with that treasure there, I mean, I was shocked that I actually ended up in this discussion…

“I felt strongly about keeping and not messing with it…

“I think it was definitely the way to keep a good strong tradition within Volvo alive. [But] If you don’t work on these elements, if you kind of put it into a glass box and [say] ‘Oh, don’t touch the iron mark’, then it’s for sure that that is guaranteed to let it die, because within a decade then that looks really old and you really can’t put it on a car anymore,” he stated.