Volvo revealed the stunning Concept Coupe at the Frankfurt Motor Show as a showcase for its future design direction. Designer Maximilian Missoni led the project under the watchful eyes of Thomas Ingenlath, the senior vice-president of design. Missoni was previously involved in ground-breaking projects like the XL1 (1,0-litre/100 km car) while working for Volkswagen. We discussed the creation of the Concept Coupe as well as general car design over dinner in Cannes during the recent launch of Volvo’s Drive-E powertrains.
CAR: The beautiful Concept Coupe surprised everyone at Frankfurt – tell us where the inspiration came from.
Missoni: We drew a lot of inspiration from the Volvo P1800 but did not want to create a retro version of that car. We wanted to create an exciting, modern classic with the Concept Coupe that is able to show the future design direction at Volvo.
The term “Scandinavian design” is often used when talking about Volvo car design. But what does it mean?
Scandinavian design portrays the values of the Swedish society. Yes we look at classic shapes found in Swedish furniture, architecture and the like but also try to incorporate the Scandinavian spirit and feeling into our vehicles.
Apart from Volvos, which two cars in history do you rate as iconic designs?
The Citroën SM and original Lamborghini Countach. Although I love the Citroën, I would never own one because of the poor engines!
When you design a car, do you strive to be different?
No, I strive to create a beautiful car and then to be different. If I cannot be different then at least the car will still be beautiful. A good example of just a beautiful car is the new Jaguar F-Type – it is not that different. Being different is actually easy, but in more cases you will be creating a horrible design of which the recent Lexus LF-NX crossover is an example in my opinion.
Car-design teams consist of many individuals with different ideas. How do you end up with a single design?
We have in-house design competitions where each member brings his ideas to the table. In some cases several design elements will be combined into one concept.
Which modern-day regulation has the biggest impact on car design?
Pedestrian protection for sure. This limits the option of frontal design immensely, as the minimum distance between the top of the engine and bonnet is fixed. It now calls for clever engineering solutions like the flip-up bonnet and pedestrian airbag as found on the V40 to circumnavigate these requirements.
Do you agree with the statement that all cars are beginning to look very similar across brands? Are manufacturers copying ideas?
I agree to a certain extent. One reason is the safety legislation discussed but the other is that most car designers have studied together before getting jobs at various OEMs. It is difficult to copy ideas as the time it takes to develop a new car means that you will be at least four years behind in design.
Do one get good, average and bad car designs?
No, only good and bad designs!
