Women are clearly on top at Volvo. The YCC concept – which has been designed by an all-female team to appeal to women buyers – forms the centrepiece of the Swedes’ Geneva Motor Show stand.Project manager Camilla Palmertz said the company’s thinking was that ‘if you meet the expectations of women, you exceed the expectations of men’. The result is a gullwing coupé with novel storage solutions, easy access and good visibility. The car also requires minimal maintenance and is apparently easy to park.
Although Volvo says the YCC – which stands for Your Concept Car – is purely a styling exercise with no production intent, this is the second time in less than a year that Volvo has shown such a vehicle. It also showed a coupé at last year’s New York Motor Show.
The designers have deemed an opening bonnet unnecessary, and have moved the washer fluid filler to the rear alongside the petrol cap. The interior of YCC houses the majority of the innovations, some of which Volvo says could find their way onto production models.
The handbag-shaped, gullwing doors extend only 600mm from the car when opened, and the rear seats are cinema-style chairs, where the seat cushion only folds down when needed, freeing up more storage space the rest of the time.
Volvo is also piloting a personalised driving position, where the driver is scanned at a dealership and their details stored on the key; the YCC’s seat, steering wheel and head restraint then adjust to the optimum position when the key is used.
The gear lever and handbrake are moved from their usual positions to free up three compartments in the centre console.
The YCC is based on an S60 platform and powered by a 215bhp five-cylinder with an auto-idle function at standstill.
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