Volvo S60, Spot the Difference?

Volvo has said that the new S60 will be officially unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show next year. As a taster, the Swedish automotive maker has released the following image.

I may not be the only person to think that the new S60 looks rather like the old S60. Volvo have never been the most daring when it comes to new design and they haven’t bucked the trend here either. Rumoured to be ‘Sportier and more dynamic’ than any previous Volvo, it is still unmistakably a Volvo.

The production car has already lost the concepts innovative detailing. For a company that have a reputation as a safe but boring manufacturer, I think it is high time that Volvo did something to shock the motor industry. Building a safe car doesn’t mean that the car has to look safe.

The car will be launched towards the end of 2010. As an optional extra, buyers will be able to purchase Volvo’s new ‘Pedestrian Detection’ system. This revolutionary new system detects pedestrians in front of the car and applies the brakes if the driver fails to react in time.

1. 

   Alexander says:

   November 18, 2009 at 8:51 am

   As you say, this new S60 looks a lot like the old one, but that can easily be considered a good thing. The old S60 was a stunner from day one, and still looks good (though my impartiality can be called into question since I own one), and car manufacturers can just as easily be branded as being too conservative while at the same time being lauded for keeping a consistent aesthetic line from model to model.

   Volvo made a big break with the S80, from a boxy style to the current more curvy lines. I think models the C30 and C70 also marked a bold move for Volvo, delving into sections of the market that were new to them, or at least, where they hadn’t had cars for many years.

   Big breaks in aesthetics have to be thought out, to see if they’re worth it. Citroën made a big statement with cars like the C3, C4, etc., because they purposely wanted to distinguish the new line-up of Citroën’s from the awfully dismal corporate models of the 90’s.

   The new S60, definitely marks something new for Volvo, and though it may not be a huge break with the past, it’s a clear step in a process of evolution for the brand