Volvo Concept Estate shows off brand's new look

Volvo's Concept Estate made a memorable debut at the Geneva Motor Show, being named "Car of the Show" by international media.

The Concept Estate is the third in a trilogy of Volvo concept cars previewing the brand's new styling direction. Its sister cars, the Concept Coupé and Concept XC Coupé were introduced at the most recent Frankfurt and Detroit auto shows, respectively.

All three feature a floating grille, flanked by headlamps with horizontal T-shaped LED highlights, and smooth, flowing lines. They are said to provide significant clues to the look and feel of the all-mew, next-generation XC90 crossover.

There's an hommage to the past in the Concept Estate's look as well. The sleek two-door sport-wagon evokes clear memories of the gorgeous P1800 ES hatchback from the 1970s.

Volvo's new design direction was overseen by Thomas Ingenlath, the company's senior vice-president, design. He says it is inspired by the simplicity, functionality and beauty that has become the hallmark of Scandinavian design.

Simplicity rules on the inside, too, where buttons are replaced by a large tablet-like touch screen control panel in the centre console.

"The basic idea is to organize controls and information in a perfectly intuitive and user-friendly way. Everything is exactly where you expect it to be," says Ingenlath.

According to Robin Page, Volvo's interior design director, "The concept car showcases how this user interface will be integrated in our new car generation."

At the car's Geneva launch, Volvo also announced plans to incorporate Apple’s CarPlay system in future cars, enabling drivers to access the content of their Apple devices through the cars’ centre console touch screen display.

The first Volvo to offer Apple’s operating system will be the new XC90, which will be introduced later this year.