The Volvo Coupe Concept vaporizes your memories of boxy mom cars, recalls P1800

By Nick Jaynes Published August 29, 2013

After a few teaser shots, Volvo has officially unveiled the full specs and photos of its latest Coupe Concept vehicle, which is slated for an in-the-flesh debut at the Frankfurt auto show. And if you were wondering: yes, this is Volvo’s 21^st century answer to the iconic P1800 of the 1960s. This one, however, is no Saint.

The all-new concept, which is the first of three in a series that will be unveiled, is based upon Volvo’s new Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) platform. Despite its sporting looks, the Coupe shares the same platform as the XC90 SUV set for unveil in 2014.

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“The Volvo Concept Coupe is no futuristic dream car. It is designed to demonstrate the capability of our new architecture: the confident stance, the proportions and the most prominent design structures,” said Senior Vice President of Design Thomas Ingenlath in a prepared statement.

“Think about the powerful calmness of a lion. He doesn’t have to prowl to radiate respect. Even lying down he shows very clearly what he is capable of,” Ingenlath added. While I understand his point, equating your car to the power of a cat at rest is less than exciting. But, really, what can you expect from Volvo? It still no Jaguar.

130806_2_1 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

On the interior beats a high-tech heart. Volvo added a portrait touch-screen to the dashboard much like the big screen in the Tesla Model S. This screen interacts with the heads-up and adaptive digital displays throughout the cabin. With the Coupe Concept, Volvo is keen to show its dedication to safe and and enjoyable cars.

In terms of safety, Volvo says the SPA-based cars are set up for full autonomous driving, which will be out on the roads before 2020.

As for powertrain, Volvo has fitted the Coupe with a plug-in hybrid drivetrain centered around a 2.0-liter supercharged and turbocharged gasoline four-cylinder and an electric motor in the rear axle. Total system power output is rated at 400 horsepower and 440 pound-feet of torque.

Although I have a soft spot in my heart for slow, boxy Volvos of old, I am glad to see Volvo competing with the likes of the Cadillac Elmiraj in both bodylines and pure power.

130828_2_1 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Former Automotive Editor

Nick Jaynes is the Automotive Editor for Digital Trends. He developed a passion for writing about cars working his way…

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