Cooperation with Pininfarina
"This co-operation with Volvo Car Corporation is an outstanding example of our full service provider strategy," says Pininfarina CEO Andrea Pininfarina. "Besides handling the engineering development of this new Volvo convertible, we will also be responsible for its production in Sweden".
Design
“We’ve succeeded in creating an attractive convertible which, at the mere touch of a button, converts into an equally elegant coupe. The customer gets two cars in one. Both with space for four adults,” says Volvo Cars President and CEO Hans-Olov Olsson.
The all new Volvo C70 is about the same size as its predecessor, but is equally wide and a full four-seater. The forward-thrusting nose section gives the car a powerful profile.
“Putting together harmonious lines both with and without a roof is no easy job,” says Fedde Talsma, design manager for the all new Volvo C70.
“We decided to start with the coupe design. When we were satisfied with the result, we made the necessary adjustments to create a convertible out of the coupe lines. Our experience tells us this is the best way of going about it.”
Unique safety solutions
Volvo has developed the all new Volvo C70 to offer new standards of preventive and protective safety in the convertible market. The car has an advanced body structure, greater torsional rigidity and several innovations that make it unique among open-top cars.
A unique example of this is the new door-mounted Inflatable Curtain (IC), part of the C70's enhanced Side Impact Protection System (SIPS). As the IC cannot be fitted in the roof, like the rest of the Volvo range, it has been innovatively fitted in the door to inflate upwards instead of downwards. Volvo's safety engineers have also fine-tuned the IC to be extra stiff so it can stay upright and help protect the head more effectively. In addition, the curtain then deflates more slowly to provide additional protection if the car rolls over. |
