Thomas Ingenlath: Volvo Concept C to end 'vanilla' design era [w/Video]

Volvo has promised a radical change in its future design language that will be embodied in its Concept C coupé, the first concept to be developed since head of design Thomas Ingenlath's appointment in July 2012.

Our first look at the concept, which debuts at this month's Frankfurt motor show, comes from a video starring Ingenlath (see left). At first it seems to just show him sketching while he explains how some people see Volvo design as "vanilla" – nice, but not iconic or cutting-edge – but if we slow it down at around the 11-second mark, we get a preview of what we can expect. If you're not quick enough to spot the stills, we've grabbed them for you to take a closer look.

From what we can see the Concept C is markedly different to the Volvos we currently know both in terms of graphics – check out its lamps and grille – as well as its overall form language that features a sharp crease along its shoulder, where would would expect a large radius.

Keep an eye out for our full First Sight feature, on 29 August.

By Rufus Thompson