Volvo Concept You Has a Very Chinese Feel: Frankfurt Auto Show 2011

There’s something really Chinese about the Volvo Concept You but I just can’t quite put my finger on it. And I’m actually Chinese.

That there is an oriental feel shouldn’t be a surprise. The Concept You is an evolution of the Concept Universe revealed earlier this year at Auto Shanghai earlier this year. Volvo sought the input of a number of potential Chinese customers at the Shanghai show, and a lot of those ideas were carried over into the You.

Volvo is, of course, now part of China’s Zheijiang Geely Motor Holdings, and part of the company’s focus is on capitalizing on the emerging luxury car market in the world’s most populous country.
The Concept You is characterized by a sweeping fastback roofline that flows directly into the petal-shaped tail lamps. Inside the suicide doors, you’ll find four individual leather and suede seats, the two rear seats separated by a center console with a touch screen between the rear seat backs. Leather and suede dominate much of the interior with some aluminum details and handcrafted walnut pieces.

Instead of buttons, Volvo uses touch screen panels, not just on the center console but also on steering wheel controls. A touch screen at the top part of the center console remains dormant until the driver glances at it; Volvo installed a hidden infrared camera that reads eye movements and notices when the driver looks at the touch screen. The Concept You also uses a heads up display on the windscreen, and the driver can move data to the HUD from the center console and even share data with passengers in the rear.

Despite the numerous design touches to the interior and driver experience, Volvo hasn’t mentioned any mechanical details for the Concept You. For this luxury car, Volvo seems to be more focused on the “luxury” part at the moment than the “car”.