The Volvo Environmental Concept Car of 1992 Led to the Demise of Its Angular Bodies Forever

The 1990s marked a crucial turning point for Volvo. After almost two consistent decades of producing solid, boxy designs, the company was prepared for a transition to a more curvaceous visual identity. Concurrently, Volvo was also swept up in the spirit of the era, which was propelling towards a technologically advanced future that few car manufacturers were capable of delivering at the time. Nevertheless, this trend dominated the landscape of concept cars. Within this context, Volvo unveiled the Environmental Concept Car, a design that may ring a bell even to those unfamiliar with it.

(Editor’s note: Design concepts are often disregarded as mere marketing ploys and dead-end creative exercises. However, sporadically, a company unveils the blueprint of its future without anyone taking notice. Given the current emphasis on advancements in electrification, autonomy, and materials in today’s concept cars, I believed it would be enlightening to delve into the archives and trace the origins of the major engineering and design trends that shape the present. This recurring feature by the esteemed Ben Hunting is titled The Most Important Concept Cars You Forgot All About, which aims to provide insight into what lies ahead. — KC)

Debuting in 1992, the ECC dazzled audiences at the Paris Motor Show with its hybrid propulsion system, featuring a gas turbine that powered the vehicle’s lone electric motor. With just under 100 horsepower available, the concept offered a practical level of real-world driving performance and a respectable 90 miles of electric range. It envisioned a future where environmental awareness was paramount, tapping into the public’s burgeoning interest in the imminent information superhighway by incorporating a live LCD traffic feed in the cockpit known as Dynaguide.

However, all the high-tech engineering and digital integration served as a smokescreen that concealed the true significance of the Environmental Concept Car. Unveiled in plain sight on that Parisian stage was the aesthetic that revitalized Volvo’s image from outdated to visionary (and attracted an entirely new demographic of customers) even before the decade concluded. While it took nearly a quarter of a century and numerous further attempts for the electrification ideals articulated in the concept to significantly impact Volvo’s lineup, the design language of the ECC swiftly and permanently revolutionized the company.

The rabbit had already escaped from the hat—it’s just that, at that time, nobody cared to observe.

The prevalence of Volvo’s angular designs had become deeply ingrained by the early 1990s. The automaker had fully embraced its reputation for producing boxy vehicles, running extensive ad campaigns that linked its angular sheet metal with the safety image crucial to the brand’s public perception, essentially overshadowing any recollection of the sleek P1800 ES and Amazon models. For almost two decades, Volvo had adhered rigorously to a boxy design approach until the ECC emerged.

Credited for the shift in direction is the arrival of Peter Horbury as the Chief Designer at Volvo in 1991 (Currently, he leads the global design department for Geely, Volvo’s parent company.) Horbury, who had previously worked for the automaker in the mid-80s, played a key role in designing one of Volvo’s unconventional models, the 480ES. This hatchback’s unique features such as the plunging hood, pop-up headlights, and slanted rear hatch were a departure from Volvo’s traditional design.

Horbury, with experience at Ford and MGA, brought an outsider’s perspective to Volvo’s design approach. He relocated the team working on a hybrid version of the Volvo 850 to the company’s design studio in Camarillo, California, far from their usual base in Gothenburg. He aimed to refocus the team towards a more innovative design direction.

The design chief at Volvo aimed to create a flagship model that would set the tone for future designs across the brand’s lineup. Although not directly competing with executive cars like the BMW 7 Series or the Jaguar XJ, Horbury strived to redefine Volvo’s image with a standout model that signaled a new design direction, unlike the mid-90s C70 coupe which retained elements from previous models.

With a modern perspective, it’s evident how the ECC’s design elements influenced the production model of the 1999 S80 sedan. The concept’s flowing lines and unique features like the ‘shoulders’ running from front to rear, a distinctive hood shape, and recessed headlights played a significant role in shaping the S80, which succeeded the 900 series as Volvo’s flagship luxury sedan.

Initially, the Environmental Concept Car’s design didn’t receive much attention. The sedan’s unconventional look led many in the automotive media to believe that its futuristic appearance was meant to emphasize its advanced drivetrain technology. Company executives were not concerned about revealing such a bold design early on for similar reasons, knowing that the ECC’s design would not be taken seriously.

According to Horbury, it was “the vehicle that enabled me to revolutionize Volvo forever.” Subsequently receiving acclaim for the ECC, the designer’s traditional strategy of diversion with the press successfully validated his vision to the Volvo leadership, propelling them towards a fresh approach beyond the mundane. Recalling the reaction of Pehr Gustaf Gyllenhammar, Volvo’s CEO at that time, Horbury informed Autocar “…he expressed disapproval, but I assured him that eventually he would.”

If Gyllenhammar had doubts about the S80’s aesthetics, the financial rewards stemming from the ECC’s successors likely swayed his opinion. Not only was the S80 a watershed in Volvo’s design evolution, but it paved the way for popular sedan models like the S60, and subsequently served as the blueprint for what Horbury has termed the ‘zenith’ of Volvo’s redefined design ethos: the XC90. This SUV brought substantial financial gains to the company, steering it towards an era less fixated on the iconic wagons that had characterized Volvo’s earlier triumphs. As a matter of fact, the XC90 was conceptualized by Doug Frasher, the Camarillo resident who initially sketched the idea that catalyzed the ECC revolution.

Horbury’s risk paid off immensely, fundamentally altering Volvo’s trajectory. The introduction of the S80 and XC90 marked a pivotal shift, dismantling the company’s reputation for mundane automobiles and ushering in a new era focused on innovative design, a transition that has cemented its present status as a design-centric automaker. Following the ECC’s unveiling and Horbury’s curtain call, the concept illuminated a design direction that has steered the company to its current position.

As for that turbine hybrid? While electrification gains traction, we eagerly await David Copperfield’s promised magic trick.

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