AUTOCAR GAME CHANGER - Volvo designer honoured for desirable & distinctive design

• Thomas Ingenlath honoured for “desirable and distinctive design” at 2017 Autocar Awards
• Ingenlath has spearheaded Volvo’s design revolution
• Volvo transformation includes new XC90, S90, V90 and recently unveiled new XC60 

Volvo Cars’ Senior Vice President of Design, Thomas Ingenlath, has won the ‘Design Hero’ award at the 2017 Autocar Awards.

Ingenlath has been at Volvo since 2012 and has led a team of designers that have revolutionised Volvo design – and in turn helped make Volvos among the most desirable premium cars on sale today. 

Modern Volvo styling takes traditional Scandinavian design cues – such as clean, simple lines and controlled surfaces – and combines them with classic proportions and striking details to create a distinctive range of premium cars. 

Add interiors that feature the finest natural materials, skilled craftsmanship and lots of natural light, and a Volvo is a luxurious, elegant, relaxing place in which to travel. 

The first Volvo production model to benefit from this bold new design language was the XC90 seven-seat SUV in 2014, which was closely followed by the S90 saloon, V90 estate and the recently launched XC60 mid-sized SUV. 

In order to highlight this new design direction at the Autocar Awards, Ingenlath personally chose a V90 D5 Inscription in Maple Brown, with blond/charcoal Nappa soft leather upholstery, walnut interior inlays, 20-inch eight-spoke diamond-cut alloy wheels, a panoramic glass sunroof and dark-tinted windows. 

Mark Tisshaw, Autocar Editor, said: “Great design is what brings the car industry to a wider audience, and Thomas has turned a mainstream product into a fully-fledged luxury brand. 

“His five years in charge of design for Volvo has coincided with a reinvention of the company itself. Volvo’s products are now among the most desirable, distinctive and best looking on the market, and are true rivals to the established German luxury car makers.” 

Commenting on the award, Thomas Ingenlath said: “It is a great honour to receive this award from such an influential motoring title as Autocar. Volvo’s new design language is Scandinavian design at its best: form with function, and genuine beauty. That the hard work of everyone involved in designing Volvos has been recognised in such a way is a fantastic achievement.” 

Volvo Cars reveals safe and seamless user interface for self-driving cars, with 100 XC90's driving around Gothenburg

Volvo Cars has revealed one of the industry’s most advanced and easy-to-use interfaces to oversee how drivers will transfer control to a car’s autonomous driving (AD) mode in its forthcoming cars.

The advent of autonomous driving technology means that the relationship between a driver and a car’s user interface is of crucial significance. A safe and seamless handover of control is the cornerstone of any new trustworthy AD technology.

Volvo Cars has designed its IntelliSafe Auto Pilot to be simple and intuitive. The autonomous mode is activated and deactivated with specially-designed paddles on the steering wheel.

When entering a route where autonomous driving is available, the car gives the driver a message that the Auto Pilot is ready. At the same time, lights on the steering-wheel paddles start flashing.

The driver pulls both paddles simultaneously to activate autonomous mode. The lights on the paddles then change to constant green and Auto Pilot confirms that the driving and the supervision has been delegated to the car.

When autonomous driving is no longer available, the driver is prompted to take over again. A sixty-second countdown is displayed.

If the driver, for any reason, doesn’t use the paddles to regain control within this minute, the car will bring itself to a safe stop.

Thomas Ingenlath, SVP Design at Volvo Cars, said: “We have designed a user interface that is safe and seamless to use so that drivers can confidently transfer and regain control of the car.”

Volvo’s new IntelliSafe Auto Pilot will be available for the first time on the 100 XC90’s it is making available for the Drive Me project in Gothenburg in 2017, the world’s most ambitious AD project.

Drive Me will make 100 self-driving Volvos available to families and commuters around Gothenburg for use in everyday driving conditions. The cars will be driven autonomously on approximately 50 kilometres of selected roads.

Following its use in Drive Me, the IntelliSafe Auto Pilot will then be introduced to the general public.

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SHANGHAI 2015 - Volvo launches new "Lounge Console" Concept, ideal for those that are driven.

Volvo Cars has unveiled a new concept at the Shanghai Auto Show that takes executive in-car luxury to a new level. Labelled the Lounge Console, the concept offers busy chauffeur-driven business people the ultimate executive accessory - a compact and versatile solution to expanded storage and comfort. 

The Lounge Console replaces the front passenger seat, providing a wealth of functions and amenities.

“We started this work by looking at the executive lifestyle. With our progressive approach to premium design and functionality we analyzed the needs and perspective of the chauffeur driven executive, designing the car around him or her in the spirit of our brand’s aim,” said Thomas Ingenlath, Senior Vice President Design at Volvo Car Group. 

“A key element in our thinking was how to make the available interior space work for the occupants in an optimal and luxurious fashion. Removing the passenger seat enabled us to create an open space that dramatically changes the dynamics of the interior and led to a firework of ideas and new possibilities.”

Having performed ethnographic research to establish the unexpressed and unmet needs of people with a high-profile lifestyle, the designers at Volvo Cars looked at how such needs might be met in one combined offer.

“The intention with this concept is to showcase two things – firstly that Volvo Cars is aware of the needs of our executive customers and secondly, that with design innovation and modern materials we can effectively create  passenger experience that is unique in the premium car segment.” added Thomas Ingenlath.

The Lounge Console incorporates features designed to enhance the in-car experience. Volvo Cars’ designers provide a large work table which opens to reveal an illuminated vanity mirror, including a storage tray for jewelry and personal accessories or make-up. 

The table rotates 90 degrees and simultaneously powers forward to display a large 17” media screen for a full in-car theater experience. Below the cushioned leg rest is an additional area for shoes. For added security Volvo Cars has included a lockable storage box. The removal of the front passenger seat allows for full forward vision creating a uniquely spacious environment.

“People who are on the move and have a hectic lifestyle going from event to event or meeting to meeting need some space, some luxury time, and the opportunity to relax and refresh themselves for the next engagement. This is ultimately what the Lounge Console is designed to facilitate,” concluded Thomas Ingenlath.