Volvo’s Concept XC Coupe rolling into Detroit

As the second installment in its new three-concept car series, Volvo today teased and talked with us about their Concept XC Coupe that will be publicly shown first at the January 2014 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

At the Volvo Monitoring and Concept Center in southern California to present the first images of the so called Concept XC Coupe, Volvo’s design director Thomas Ingenlath showed off images of this follow-up crossover to the enthusiastically received Volvo Concept Coupe that was shown at the September 2013 Frankfurt show.

Based on a version of the new modular Scalable Product Architecture that will first be seen on the road at the end of 2014 with the new XC90, the Concept XC Coupe is a clear indicator of what we can expect in the next-generation XC60 due out in 2016. Ingenlath, formerly of Audi design until joining Volvo in 2012, says the concept is best presented as a three-door because “this is one good way to stand out as not your everyday model in an auto show crowd.” The XC Coupe is essentially a tall 4x4 interpretation of the Concept Coupe with requisite cargo zone and taller rear gate with a significant new take on the LED taillights.

In an idea labeled “Scandinavian Activity," the XC Coupe is finished in a sort of rubberized matte grey and there is virtually no flashy chrome anywhere to be seen. Besides the clear sport activity airs of the concept, the wheels are showstand large and chunky with orange accents and there is an aero design roof cargo carrier. The front revisits the new “double-t” look first seen in the earlier Frankfurt coupe concept. According again to Ingenlath, this new headlight identity will be on all Volvo models for the next decade following the launch of the new XC90.

The third concept to be shown down the road in 2014? “It will be a surprising model that breaks new ground,” says Ingenlath.