When a designer tells us a new interior is coming, usually we just nod. When that designer is Thomas Ingenlath, the designer who determines what “Volvo” means to our eyeballs, our ears stand up like those of an elkhound that just heard the word “walk.” Ingenlath is the chief emotion stirrer behind the XC90 and S90, and the striking interiors of those Volvos are only the most recent credits on his impressive résumé.
We’re seated in a glass pod 20 feet above the Los Angeles auto show’s South Hall, in a hyper-Scandinavian expression of a modern show stand. Downstairs, a massive screen displays images of a frigid sea, cloudy skies time-lapsing to clear and back. You can see those blues and grays translated to colors on Volvo’s display cars. Further images of vast forests seem to connect with the abundance of warm wood used in the exhibit and in the cars themselves.
While I’m listening to Ingenlath, occasionally my eyes dart around the room. The floor is wood, with contrasting circle inserts in the planks. Plates and a carafe of coffee rest on a textured wood table, with lines and protruding square shapes that give the wooden table stand a 3D matrix effect. Just behind that is a wall made of vertically slanted wood. Something Ingenlath will say in just a few moments will make all of these details distinctly important.
We’re already anticipating many details about Volvo’s new mid-size SUV, which we’ve spied in testing. To be built on a downsized version of the same Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) that underpins the XC90, the 2018 XC60 will be powered by Volvo’s latest 2.0-liter four-cylinder engines, the turbocharged T5 and the turbo- and supercharged T6. The T8 Twin Engine plug-in hybrid is also likely, and a pure-electric version could arrive a couple of years after launch. Exterior design will evolve the XC60’s current aesthetic and incorporate cues such as Thor’s Hammer headlight flourishes and LED taillights.
Where things get really interesting is interior design, a field where Volvo is particularly excelling of late. While the industry has heaped praise on Volvo for the concept-car-like interiors of the current production versions of the XC90 SUV (photo below) and S90 sedan, the Swedish automaker is wary of resting on its successes.
“We’ve had some momentum, and that really allows us to be playful. We can now say, ‘Okay, let’s push this a step further,’ ” Ingenlath said. “I know a lot of the industry is watching us, and they’re looking at our stuff, especially the interiors, and here we can show them we have one more trick in our basket and play with it, not just repeat ourselves. The XC60 will be the next evolution of our interior, and we’ll be presenting that next year.”
What might this evolution look like? First, Ingenlath confirms that Volvo’s Sensus Connected Touch infotainment system will come down from the 90-series cars but will be tweaked. “We won’t have smaller screens—it will be this great delightful screen that we have now. Our system in the XC60 will reflect the next evolution, and this won’t stay in the 60, it will come to all of our lineup.”
For those just getting used to Volvo’s new system, fear not. “It will not be like suddenly everything is different, but it will be a clear step.” Ingenlath said future Volvos, to include the S60 and V60 sedan and wagon, will also incorporate the ability to update the software in order to continuously refine the use and ease of the system during the term of ownership. “We’re not going to be like Apple, issuing updates every three months, but you will be able to update how you interact with the car. We’ll keep pushing the interfaces further to get closer to the imaginary state of perfection. We want to make it as delightful as possible, as easy as possible, while still keeping the brand flair.”
Another area that could differ from the current XC60? “What we’re definitely exploring is our wood history. Now, we have a very, very natural expression of wood, which we of course want to keep. But I’m very convinced that even in a very young and more avant-garde interior, you can have very interesting wood expression in there.”
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“Do we always have to have leather in a luxurious car? That definitely is a big question for us.” – Thomas Ingenlath, Volvo design chief
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While premium and luxury brands employ wood to warm a cabin’s interior, the options usually consist of colors or finishes. Two exceptions are Bentley and Rolls-Royce, both of which have a rich heritage of fine woodwork. Those cars also cost a quarter of a million dollars and up on average. If the woodwork on Volvo’s show stand is an indicator, the prospect of seeing something fresh—and in a five-digit price range—is intriguing.
Ingenlath said the team is also exploring modern textiles and materials. “Do we always have to have leather in a luxurious car? That definitely is a big question for us. We’d love to convince the customers that there is an alternative car interior beyond leather.”
Ingenlath contends that it wouldn’t be a new faux leather, either. “We’re not trying to pretend. It wouldn’t be a pretend leather. We want to look at different fabrics. But there’s definitely a real challenge to convince customers’ perceptions.” The Gothenburg-based designer said he had a similar challenge when he first came to the United States to show off the matte wood in what was then the future XC90. Despite initial reluctance and pushback, he said that it is now accepted and has been a huge success.
Asked when we might specifically see this evolution of Volvo’s interior design language, the answer was clear: “March.” So look for the 2018 XC60 to make its debut at the 2017 Geneva auto show.
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