| Volvo's Versatility Concept Car - Interactive Design for Smarter Luxury |
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| Geneva, Switzerland (March 4, 2003) - The Versatility Concept Car (VCC) from Volvo
is a vision of what interactivity in cars might be like ten years from today. Wireless networks make it
possible to transfer more information than ever to your car - while leaving you less to carry around.
It's a concept Volvo calls "Smarter Luxury" and includes: |
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.Wireless connection to networks
.Access to films, music and computer databases
.Digital, flexible instruments with analogue design
.Upgradeable infotainment control units for each passenger
.V-Pulse - the key that indicates the car's status
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| The interactive capability of the VCC is designed to enhance the overall premium
experience, offering a system that is pleasurable to use and own. In our everyday lives, ten years from
now, products will be linked together in networks. The VCC will be able to communicate with these networks,
to allow them to become a natural part of our lives. All entertainment features that are available at
home, such as movies and music, are also available in the car. |
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| In the Versatility Concept Car, there is no traditional audio unit or DVD player.
Instead, the car is continuously connected to the home where music and movies are stored as electronic
files. The car connects to the home using W-LAN, 3G or GPRS. These files are therefore accessible wherever
the car is. |
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| "Less is more..." |
| The Versatility Concept Car is also a reaction to the trend towards stacking increasing
numbers of functions and controls in the center console. In the VCC the amount of controls on the center
console have been reduced to only the climate unit and security functions, showcasing Volvo's excellent
ergonomic design heritage and Scandinavian simplicity. The sliders, controlling the temperature and fan
speed, are designed to give the user a feeling of well being, and of being in control of a very high-tech
system. |
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| All other information is available to the driver in the display module, which features
digital instruments of analogue design for speed, rpm, engine temperature and fuel quantity. These gauges
are a digital interpretation of the metal dials in Volvo's performance cars: the S60 R and V70 R. |
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| The digital screen for the instruments provides added flexibility; when the driver
wants to use the navigation system, a map is superimposed over the speedometer readout and rev counter.
In the same way, the display can create a pop-up window containing information about the music being played
in the audio system. |
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| When the car is started, the system confirms that the car's safety systems are functioning
properly by displaying all their icons in the display screen: WHIPS, SIPS, IC, DSTC, SRS AIRBAG. The driver
controls the various functions via controls grouped around the steering wheel hub, and via conventionally
positioned stalks on either side of the steering wheel. |
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| Individual interaction |
| These functions and information are not available only to the driver. One of the
main ideas about the system is to bring the controls to the passengers - instead of placing it all in
the center console. The control units are not built into the car and can therefore easily be changed and
upgraded if necessary - a feature that truly shows the Scandinavian approach to luxury. |
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| In the Versatility Concept Car each passenger is given a wireless display with touch-functionality
- a webpad. Using this, they can easily listen to their own music, watch films, browse the Internet, or
add a destination to the navigation system. The webpad can also serve as an information carrier between
the car, the home, and the office. |
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| "A hand to hold" |
| The old expression "a hand to hold" has undergone a new high-tech interpretation
in the VCC. Volvo's V-Pulse is your electronic friend who will tell you the status of the car. It is a
very personal part of the car that you can bring home or show to your friends. |
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| A basic luxury is to know that your car and friends are untouched and safe from harm.
The V-Pulse gives you "something to hold in your hand in the dark;" reassuring you that everything is
okay by generating a calm and regular heartbeat. The heartbeat is transmitted as a gentle pulsating sensation
in your hand. |
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| The frequency of the pulse would immediately rise if something were wrong. For example,
if the car was left unlocked or the alarm had gone off, you could open the V-Pulse and see in the small
display exactly what has happened. Communication with the car takes place via the GSM network. |
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This soft and pleasantly rounded Scandinavian jewel, bearing Volvo's signature Iron mark from 1927,
is also used to lock and unlock the car. By a gentle squeeze of the V-Pulse the car is unlocked - and
the feedback by raised pulse is immediate. The V-Pulse has its natural place in the center console. In
position, a gentle press of the V-Pulse starts the car.
Source: Volvo Cars
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