Volvo XC Coupe concept (2014) first official pictures

By Ollie Kew

First Official Pictures

08 January 2014 09:00

This is the Volvo XC Coupe concept, revealed in full after teaser sketches were shown late last year. It’s 'the next chapter in the Volvo design story', according to the Swedish automaker and it's new design boss, Thomas Ingenlath.

The rakish SUV will take centre stage for Volvo at the Detroit motor show later in January 2014.

Not quite. The Volvo XC Coupe concept is aimed at drumming up anticipation for Volvo's next SUV, and gives plenty of clues about how it'll look.

The XC retains the split headlights and confident grille of Ingenlath's first concept effort, the Coupe Concept, which was unveiled at the 2013 Detroit motor show.

Vertical elements for the taillights reappear on the XC, hinting at the new XC90's rear styling. Oddly, the utilitarian roofbox does much to distract the eye from the roofline's rather swooping profile. How very Volvo to come over all sensible.

Volvo has also announced a suite of new safety systems that are slated for the new XC90. The gadgets include autonomous parking, night-vision pedestrian detection, and the most advanced automatic lane-keeping assist package yet. Find out more by reading CAR's technology roundup here.

It's very unlikely Volvo would carry this three-door template into production for an Evoque-rivalling model: the new XC90 will stick to five-door, seven-seat principles.

Much like Jaguar's C-X17 concept, the XC is as much about showing off what you can't see as it is a styling exercise.

This is the second Volvo concept to use the brand's SPA, meaning Scalable Platform Architecture. Much like VW's modular MQB underpinnings, SPA will see duty in everything from Volvo's next S60 and V60 execs, right up to the Range Rover Sport-fighting XC90.

SPA should also shave weight and increase space efficiency, promising more agile, frugal, yet roomier models from the Swedes. That's the ideal showcase for Volvo's new range of turbocharged four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines, which will are already beginning to replace the brand's ageing five- and six-pot mills in models like the XC60 crossover.

New engines, new tech, a fresh chassis and updated looks. Does the XC Coupe herald a new era for Volvo, or has nothing changed at Volvo? Add your thoughts on Volvo's future in the comments below.

By Ollie Kew