Volvo enters Swedish automotive design Renascence with its Concept XC Coupe

By Stephen Edelstein Published December 11, 2013

detroit auto show volvo to unveiled concept xc coupe teaser — Image used with permission by copyright holder

It’s hard to believe, but Volvo is becoming quite stylish.

The Swedish carmaker known for boxy station wagons unveiled the rakish Concept Coupe at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show, and plans to follow it up with the Concept XC Coupe, a crossover set to unveil at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show.

Recommended Videos

Expect the Concept XC Coupe to adapt many of the Coupe Concept’s styling features to a more rugged crossover design. It should look longer an lower than anything seen on production Volvo XC models to date, with a stylish wraparound interpretation of the company’s signature taillights.

Underneath the new styling, the Concept XC Coupe will most likely be based on the same Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) platform as the Coupe Concept. SPA will underpin all of Volvo’s upcoming medium and large production vehicles – including the next XC90, which this concept will likely preview.

If this crossover concept is SPA-based, it will most likely be engineered for autonomous driving; Volvo hopes to have autonomous cars on the road by 2020.

We wouldn’t mind seeing a version of the Coupe Concept’s plug-in hybrid powertrain – consisting of a 2.0-liter supercharged and turbocharged four-cylinder engine and an electric motor – under the hood.

Volvo’s signature style has traditionally been the avoidance of style, but that just won’t cut it in today’s competitive luxury-car market. Buyers want their cars to be fashion items, even when they come from the company that built the 240 DL.

The Volvo Concept XC Coupe will be unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show on January 13. However, it plans to release full details a week ahead of that, so stay tuned. In the meantime, check out the trailer below.

Topics

Stephen Edelstein

Contributing Editor

Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…

Cars

Eaton, Treehouse to boost home capacity for EV charging, energy storage

eaton treehouse ev charging news releases

Power-management firm Eaton likes to point out that when it launched in 1911, it invested in a new idea -- the very first gear-driven truck axle -- just at a time when both transportation and power management were on the cusp of dramatic change.
More than 113 years later, Eaton is again seeking to lead innovation in the current energy transition.
The power-management firm just signed a deal with Treehouse, an AI, software-enabled installation platform for electrification projects. The end goal: accelerating the electrification of homes for electric-vehicle (EV) charging, energy storage, or heat pumps, while seeking more efficiency and cost savings.
“At Eaton, we’re all-in on the energy transition and we’re making it happen at scale by delivering breakout technologies and industry collaborations needed to delight customers and make it more accessible and affordable,” says Paul Ryan, general manager of Connected Solutions and EV Charging at Eaton.
The partnership will ensure consumers are provided with accurate and fast pricing, as well as access to licensed electricians to deliver code-compliant installations, the companies say.
The collaboration also integrates into Eaton’s “Home as a Grid” approach, which supports the two-way flow of electricity, enabling homeowners to produce and consume renewable energy when they need it, Eaton says.
“For more than a century, power has flowed in one direction—from centralized power plants into homes,” the company says. “Today, there’s a new reality thanks to solar, electric-vehicle charging, energy storage, digitalization, and more.”
Projects to change homes and EVs into energy hubs have multiplied recently.
Last month, Nissan joined ChargeScape, a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) venture that is already backed by BMW, Ford, and Honda. ChargeScape’s software wirelessly connects EVs to power grids and utility companies, enabling consumers to receive financial incentives for temporarily pausing charging during periods of high demand. Eventually, consumers should also be able to sell the energy stored in their EVs’ battery back to the power grid.
In August, GM announced that V2G technology will become standard in all its model year 2026 models. And Tesla CEO Elon Musk has hinted that Tesla could introduce V2G technology for its vehicles in 2025.

Cars

Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and EVs offer big incentives as year nears its end

chrysler dodge jeep ev incentives record my24 hybrid gallery 04 exterior desktop jpg image 1440

It’s no secret that automakers and dealerships typically climb over each other to offer the best incentives before the year ends. But this year’s sales season is expected to be particularly competitive, with slowing sales translating to greater urgency to clear inventory.

According to research from Kelley Blue Book, the respected vehicle-valuation firm, overall incentives on new vehicle sales were up by 60% in October compared to the previous year.

Cars

Jeep, Ram EREVs will get 690-mile range with new Stellantis platform

A 2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger sits in a vineyard.

Stellantis, the giant automotive group, is betting big on extending the range of both its hybrid and fully electric vehicles (EVs).

Last month, the company, which owns the Jeep, Dodge, and Ram brands in the U.S., invested nearly $30 million into an advanced wind tunnel at its research center in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The goal is to study airflow around a vehicle’s wheels and tires to further optimize its EVs and boost their range.