Volvo sprung one of the biggest surprises of the Shanghai show with the unveil of the Concept Universe, a massive, five-metre long saloon.
And it’s only partly aimed at the Chinese market where big cars dominate. Another concept based on similar lines will be unveiled in Frankfurt in September.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
“New demanding Chinese customers influence the type of car we produce and how big they are,” said Volvo design chief Peter Horbury.
The Concept Universe is a public experiment, he added. It is the work of the design studio in Gothenburg, Sweden and had no input from the new Shanghai design studio.
With the 1992 Environmental Concept Car (ECC), the automaker monitored feedback from customers around the world. The exercise “helped shape Volvos for the next 15 years,” said Horbury.
The same will happen with the new concept. The car draws heavily on heritage, taking the front styling cues from the legendary Amazon to give what Horbury describes as a “classic and graceful car with clean shapes and no swoops.”
But it wouldn’t be just a car for China. “We mustn’t alienate the rest of the world,” he said.
