Volvo’s mysterious concept teased again

VOLVO fans are not expected to have to wait too long to be put out of their misery on the true identity of a vehicle teased on Facebook by the Swedish company over the past week.

 

GoAuto understands full details of the vehicle – thought by some people to be a concept for an upcoming autonomous vehicle in a new class for Volvo – will break cover within days.

 

So far, Volvo has released two teasers – a sound bite and a brief video – of the vehicle, accompanied by the hashtag #360c.

 

The sound bite consists of an electronic music chime with the caption: “This could be the sound of your future ride. What do you think it is saying?”

 

Now Volvo has followed up with a teaser video with glimpses of what appears to be a new model or concept, accompanied by the hashtag #360c and this caption: “Coming soon: Our vision for the future of travel. Could time spent travelling be time well spent?”

 

The 360 nomenclature has a history at Volvo, although it is hard to see any link with the futuristic vehicle shown in the video: the Volvo 360 was the company’s entry-level small car built at the former DAF factory in the Netherlands in the 1980s.

 

With its rear-wheel-drive layout and crude De Dion swing-axle rear suspension, the 360 was largely unloved, being killed off in 1991.

 

Volvo has hinted that there will be significant differences between the new vehicle and the old 360.

 

The “c” attached to the name is more intriguing, as Volvo has had a couple of models in its past with such a designation – the C30 three-door small hatchback and the C70 sportscar.

 

Are we seeing the return of a sportscar to the Volvo line-up, perhaps with autonomous control? Volvo is not saying ... yet.

 

It is also not saying where it will first appear in the flesh, but we are pretty sure it will not be at the Paris motor show in October – Volvo has already announced it is skipping that show this year.

 

The video shows LED light strips across the front of a car, above an illuminated Volvo badge on what we would guess to be the grille of an electric vehicle. The light strip appears to extend out on a mysterious finger protruding from daytime running lights.

 

The video then cuts to what could be the back of a vehicle with red LED strips, this time with a mysterious vertical appendage with a 360 badge.

 

The reference to “could time travelling be time well spent” has been interpreted by most pundits as a reference to autonomous control which allows the driver to do other things while cruising along.

 

Volvo is on the record as saying it will launch both all-electric and autonomous vehicles in the next few years. The next-generation XC90 large SUV that is due in 2021 is said to be getting level 4 autonomous driving technology.

 

Full electrification is also on the Volvo agenda, following up on the plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) already spreading across the range.

 

Volvo is steadily dropping diesel engines from its range, replacing them with such electrified powertrains. The Chinese-owned, Swedish-based car company aims to have 50 per cent of its global sales fitted with some form of electrification by 2025.

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