Swedish car maker, Volvo, has officially introduced the Concept Estate at the Geneva Motor Show 2014.
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The Volvo Estate concept follows the Concept Coupe, which was showcased at the Frankfurt show last year and the Concept XC Coupe from Detroit Motor Show, which took place in the month of January this year.
The Concept Estate features a striking exterior that draws cues from the 1970’s 1800 ES. It previews the new Volvo XC90, which will make its debut at the Paris Motor Show in October this year.
The Concept Estate features a touch screen which uses Volvo’s specially designed software. This touch screen will be the main control panel for Volvo’s new in-car user experience. It replaces all buttons and controls except for a few crucial functions such as volume, play/pause, hazard warning and window heaters. It also interacts seamlessly with the digital instrument cluster in front of the driver.
“The basic idea is to organise controls and information in a perfectly intuitive and user-friendly way. Everything is exactly where you expect it to be, making the drive more enjoyable, efficient and safe,” says Thomas Ingenlath, Senior Vice President Design at Volvo Car Group.
The interior of the concept includes only one short row of buttons and knobs below a large tablet-style touchscreen mounted on the centre console. The touchscreen controls all major functions including infotainment, heating, and is linked to the digital instrument cluster.
“Not having to deal with buttons and controls for a growing number of functionalities is like being freed from a pair of handcuffs,” says Robin Page, Design Director Interior of Volvo Car Group. “This has made it possible to build a beautiful interior architecture around the portrait screen. The concept car showcases how this user interface will be integrated in our new car generation.”
The concept has seats for four people, with the rear seats fully foldable to create a flat floor cargo space. The interior is inspired by a Scandinavian living room, with orange seatbelts and wool carpets alongside natural wood, leather and metal trims. A panoramic roof and two-spoke steering wheel are the key design elements of the Volvo Concept Estate.