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Volvo Adventure Concept Car: A new way to look at an SUV

 

For immediate release

Volvo Adventure Concept Car: A new way to look at an SUV

 

DETROIT - A design study of what a Volvo sports utility vehicle (SUV) might look like will be one of the feature cars on the Volvo Car Corporation stand at the 2001 North American International Auto Show.

 

The Volvo Adventure Concept Car (ACC) is not a car that customers should expect to see in the near future. Instead, company executives stress, it's a means to test the expectations and demands of buyers in this highly competitive and demanding segment.

 

Drawn in the new Volvo design language, with gently rounded lines and a "cab-forward" appearance, the ACC is on display to collect the views of show visitors who can leave their comments at special computer monitors. Later, Internet users will be invited to pass their comments along to product developers.

 

Volvo Car Corporation has committed to entering the SUV segment in North America within two years.

 

"We are naturally hoping to create a solid commercial base for our introduction. It's important to hear the views and comments of our customers while we still have time to make precision adjustments to the product," says Dieter Laxy, head of marketing, sales and service at Volvo Car Corporation.

 

The Volvo ACC is based on five assumptions about the properties the market expects in an SUV with a Volvo name.

  • Driving characteristics on par with those of a well balanced car, particularly road feedback and driving safety
  • First class protection for occupants without being unnecessarily aggressive to any other vehicle involved in a collision
  • Powerful, responsive engines with competitive fuel economy
  • Exhaust emissions at the same level as a normal car, with the target of meeting U.S. ULEV and ULEV II standards
  • Generous interior space without taking up too much space on the road

 

"We are interested to see the kind of reception people give to a large Volvo," says chief designer Peter Horbury. "The target is to find a design that is not as 'macho' as that of many other SUV models in the segment."

 

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Information:

 

Lisa Graham

Volvo Cars of Canada Ltd.

(416)490-5834

 

Doug Mepham

MacDonald & Co.

(416)975-1572

Keywords:
ACC, Product News
Descriptions and facts in this press material relate to Volvo Cars's international car range. Described features might be optional. Vehicle specifications may vary from one country to another and may be altered without prior notification.