The Scandinavian design story behind the Volvo XC40 Recharge
Volvo Cars head of design Robin Page on the four-step process that leads to good interior design
It’s ironic that the Archipelago of Gothenburg, just a few kilometres offshore from Volvo’s headquarters in Sweden’s second-largest city, is entirely car-free.
This group of more than 20 islands served as the inspiration for the interior design of the XC40 Recharge, in which horizontal decorative sections are the metaphorical bridges between the ‘islands’ of the air vents and central touchscreen.
Robin Page, head of design for Volvo Cars, says that establishing the island theme represented step one of the four-step process that leads to good interior design.
“Interiors should start with a simple theme – a clean architecture that you can sketch out in just two or three lines,” he explains. “The next step is to use materials in a way that complements the shapes. In the case of the all-electric XC40 Recharge, there’s a big focus on sustainability, so the door insert is made from recycled plastic bottles.”
The increased use of such materials represents one pillar of Volvo’s drive for greater sustainability. For the door-insert material in the XC40 Recharge, 97 per cent comes from recycled PET bottles (colour forms the remaining 3 per cent). Recycled PET also features in the floor carpet, on the sides of the console and in the headlining, parcel shelf and pillars, while the seats contain recycled polyester.
“Our future journey is not only about safety, but also sustainability, and the XC40 is a good example of where we’re heading,” says Page. “A big percentage of the interior has a recycled element. Our customers expect ethical, sustainable materials from us.”
Stage three of the design process is about seamlessly integrating technology and other amenities. Central to the mix in the XC40 Recharge is the new, Android Automotive
Os-based infotainment system, which is accessed through the 9-inch touchscreen. It adds a new level of usability to the regular XC40’S ergonomically elegant interior. Feedback from customers early in the design process led to thoughtful touches like the ‘curry hook’ for hanging take-out meals or a purse, the removable trash bin, and speakers relocated under the dashboard to make space for extra-large door storage pockets.
“The fourth stage adds the ‘delight’ features, what we call the ‘jewelry’,” continues Page. “Examples are the shifter, the air vents and the choice of decorative material, which in this
case is cutting-edge recycled aluminum. It’s the combination of those four layers together that creates a great interior.”
For Page, simplicity is the key to an interior that lives
up to the clean-cut tradition of Scandinavian design. For
the XC40, the team kept a 3D print of the original theme in view throughout the design process.
“It’s very easy to add to the original theme and complicate it,” he explains.
“A lot of Scandinavian design is about keeping to the simplicity and purity of the original design. You can easily solve engineering problems by creating another feature or design element, but an interior is a bit like an art gallery: if you fill the wall with pictures, you don’t know what to look at. The beautiful elements should have room to breathe.”
Page says that at Volvo, the challenge of fulfilling engineering requirements for the likes of occupant safety and packaging space can even lead to creative solutions that elevate the original design to new heights. “It means lots of reviews with engineering, workshops, innovation and creativity. But part of the fun of the job is going through that to create something that will last forever.”
In the XC40 Recharge, simple, usable design extends to the digital interface, too. The new Androidbased infotainment system provides access to Google Maps, Google Assistant and the Google Play Store.
“The digital screen enables us to be really smart about what we show the user, based on the context,” says Thomas Stovicek, head of user experience at Volvo Cars. “Instead of putting a lot of buttons on the screen or over complicating, we’re very thoughtful about how we present the information. We can be smarter about when we present things and make it even easier for people to use new systems such as Pilot Assist, which helps the driver with steering, acceleration and braking. If you design the interface the wrong way, it could just add complexity, confusion and distraction.”
Stovicek’s user experience team is drawn from backgrounds in both tech and automotive. He notes that Google Assistant is familiar to many customers from their homes, but that this robust voice interaction system also provides an easier way to communicate with a car, hands free. Assistant is at the heart of the XC40 Recharge because it simplifies access to a greater number of new functions, such as finding a charging point on the way to the driver’s destination,
without adding to driver distraction. Think of this human-machine interface as a digital extension of Volvo’s commitment to safety.
“One of the added benefits of the new Android system is that it is easier to update,” he adds. “We constantly test for usability and do eye-tracking tests to measure how distracted people are while they’re driving. As we get feedback, we can continue to improve those things over time, making sure that when we add new features, we continue to enhance the systems already in place.”