Volvo has always been associated with safety and now the Swedish car maker is suggesting it can be sexy as well, writes Andrew Hamilton
At least that is the message from the Volvo SCC, which stands for Safety Concept Car. It sounds like an armoured vehicle full of cushions and airbags. But Volvo purposely adapted the style of a sports coupé to demonstrate the latest thinking on car safety and test ideas that could be incorporated into its production models.
Volvos are well known as safe cars, equipped with crumple zones, airbags, belt tensioners and anti-whiplash head restraints. But for the SCC, the emphasis is less on "passive safety", - the protection of occupants in a crash - and more on encouraging safer driving.
Providing the driver with improved all-round vision, a key factor in safer driving, was the priority of the SCC.
Research has shown that most drivers sit too low in their cars. The SCC automatically provides the optimum seating position for any driver. As you open the door and sit down, an electrical device detects how far your head is from the roof, while an infrared camera detects the whites of your eyes. Using this information, the car determines the eyeline that gives you the best possible field of vision and, adjusts the seat, steering wheel, pedals, gear lever and centre console accordingly.
In most modern cars the windscreen and window pillars are substantial (for other safety reasons) and can create dangerous blind spots. Volvo has come up with a radical solution: see-through windscreen pillars. Twin pillars are connected and strengthened by a lattice of thin criss-cross beams, like a bridge structure, and covered with transparent plastic. To eliminate the blind spot over the driver's shoulder, the door pillars are curved inwards behind the glass and follow the shape of the seat. Furthermore, a radar unit measures the distance to traffic at the rear and alongside the car: warning lights alert the driver to anything so close that it cannot be seen in the mirrors.
At night, the headlamps - fed by fibre optics from a single light source - adapt to the road, changing the shape of the beam depending on the speed and conditions, and turning with the steering for better illumination at junctions and round tight corners. An infrared "night sight" system enhances vision over a longer distance and in fog: its display is projected onto the windscreen.
Forward-facing cameras "read" the white lines on the road and bleep a warning if the car veers out of lane without a signal to overtake, perhaps if the driver has become drowsy. Another radar sensor warns if you are getting too close to the car in front. This could be made to operate the brakes but does not: Volvo safety experts believe the driver should remain in full control.
The SCC is based on the Volvo S60 saloon and, in spite of all the safety paraphernalia, it has the makings of a lively sporty machine.
The panoramic view really does make it easier to position the car and the various warning systems would be reassuring for overtaking in busy traffic.
Is this four-door, four-seater with the sharpness of a coupé the shape of Volvos to come? Not exactly, but just as some of its safety technology is likely to be adopted, so we will see styling features from the SCC on future models.