Miscellaneous Features
Interview: Steve Mattin, Volvo Cars Senior Vice President, Design
By Interviewed by George Achorn, photos by Volvo Car Corporation
Apr 2, 2007, 18:25

Just when you thought Volvo could rest on its laurels, with its line of broad-shouldered cars finally up-to-date with the newer rounded look of the first-gen S80, the Swedes have stepped out of their figurative box again, heading off into an even more extreme design direction headed by former Mercedes design ace Steve Mattin.

Swedespeed recently sat down one-on-one with Mattin to learn more about the designer, the designs, where Volvo’s been, where Volvo’s come, and where Volvo’s going.

Swedespeed - It’s been mentioned how the XC60 definitely seems to be the most significant change in Volvo design since the S80. Obviously, that seems to be your intent. Can you walk us through where Volvo is and where you are trying to go with it?

Steve Mattin (Mattin) - Well, what you say is pretty much correct. If you look at the S80 when it was introduced, today's DNA as we know it, was quite a radical move from the boxy vehicles which were around before.

One of the first things I did when coming to the company was sort of sit down and reflect, you know kind of work out what should be done with the DNA. How should we strengthen it and where should we change it? And where shouldn't we?

DNA is not all about taking things and changing them all the time. It's a matter of not abandoning something we have sort of said when it comes to the DNA, but also with a dramatic new approach. So you can relate it in different ways.

It was very important to take Volvo into the next generation, and that starts with the face of the car. As with any person or any vehicle, the face, the front of the car is the thing that is most important to start with. So that's where the foundation started. What can we do with the front of the car to modernize it, to take it into a slightly sportier, more dramatic, more expressive direction, and more self-confident? Because the face hasn't really changed, for say many years; look at the grill, the emblem.



So that was one of the first things, the ironmark. You can see on the concept. We have dramatically increased it in size. We have made it into a premium emblem now because before it was very much an understatement, like the whole brand in general. So, it was more to make people aware of the brand, be self-confident, be bold, and make it visible to the customer.

We have also obviously increased the size of the grill to give a more prominent front end, and paid a lot more attention to things like the headlamps. You notice, obviously we have widened the grill, and then you may think, the typical Volvo V- shape, the front where it tucks in has disappeared, but actually by doing this, angling the grill a little bit more and positioning the lamps, these little individual lamps on the side of the grill, emphasizing it more than before because we are actually noticing it at nighttime.

So you can actually see the V-shape. So that is why we sort of started on the face of the car and gave it more expression, more emotion, more character. You can tell just by the headlamps, instead of being totally horizontal, they are angled now. So not only do you have the individual ones, but also the frowning as part of that sort of character identity. And that translates around the whole car.

Another thing that is there, which everyone can see, is the Volvo text at the rear. You know, we are now spacing it out and increasing the size a little bit. And that is something that hasn't been around for quite some time. But if you look at it as a brand identity, you can actually see, if you take an XC90 for example.

For those of us in the car industry, it is very easy to see what it is and know that it says Volvo. If you are a customer out there and don't know the brand very well and you’re 20-30 meters away, maybe you can actually read what it says. It is a part of us being proud, more confident, spacing out the lettering, showing who we really are, and it also has got that heritage sort of context.

It’s the same with the ironmark. It didn't have the frame around it before, if you go back forty or fifty years. So, it is sort of rejuvenating things a little bit and modernizing things a little bit. Even the lettering, it's not just the readability, it is also a piece of internal marketing on the car. It helps the proportions of the car as well. It helps widen and stretch the car.

Swedespeed- In the market with current Volvo design, it is still one of the more recognizable languages - especially the shoulders, copied by some but still very much a highly Volvo characteristic. The newer design looks much edgier. Was there a need to definitely differentiate the brand? And additionally, is there any danger in getting edgy in a traditionally very subdued, conservative company. I mean, this company's current design was very revolutionary for them at one time.

Mattin - Yes. We have a fairly defined DNA philosophy running through all the vehicles at the moment, which sets up from a number of key characteristics. One of those is, obviously what you mentioned, the shoulder where you get this sort of continuous section running through the whole car. The downside of that is you get a very similar body side section, and then whatever you do on other aspects, you still get a certain similarity to the forerunning car.

On the concept, what we have done is actually try to emphasize the shoulder even more. So we have taken the width of the shoulder and increased it. We still want to get a lot of sculpture on the car because it is about adding emotional content and excitement to the simplistic Scandinavian design. So to do that we obviously had to pull the shoulder out more on the body side and introduce this undercut, which is around on other vehicles. It is an interesting shape, which actually opens up and then tapers again to the rear to give it that unique feeling and then accentuate the fender flairs underneath.

What we intend to do, or what I intend to do in the future, is make sure we have a little bit more diversity among the different types of vehicles. We have a fairly defined setup in the XC range, an S range, a V range and then the C types of vehicles but at the moment they all sort of play around the DNA. I think there is more opportunity for a greater diversity within those types of vehicles to accentuate the characteristics of the vehicles a little bit stronger.

Swedespeed - What would you say the different sections of the brand are?

Mattin - There is XC, S, which is the limousines and the V range. Obviously our strengths are XC and V. If you look at the heritage, that is how we started, the wagon, the staple.

Then there’s the C range, C70 and the C30, having more emotional contact and products in the portfolio.

The XC60 is taking the XC, as we have it today with the XC90 and the XC70, a step further. So we have, down below on the car, sort of a typical XC muscle, but adding the very sleek, dynamic, sporty, sort of charismatic lines of almost a sexy coupe at the top. To get that sort of fusion, where we differentiate from our competitors with the XC vehicles one step further.

Swedespeed - You mention, for instance, elements like the light that accents the line of the grill, mounted between the grill and the headlight. Are there elements like those that are shown on the XC60, specific to what you are describing as your XC language, versus the new general Volvo language? Would that be something that is more XC characteristic?

Mattin - No, that is something that we obviously want to bring across a number of the vehicles to emphasize the DNA and differentiate the front ends from some of our competition. Where most competitors have single headlamp units, it is very important for the brand and you have noticed that maybe through the star on the S Mercedes where I think if you jump to the rear of the car you can actually see the shoulder now lit up in the lamps.

Then on the C30, where we have the horseshoe shape that communicates this sort of identity at nighttime. Things like that we want to take across the brand. If you've got a wide shoulder, you emphasize it. But, we can sort of differentiate between maybe an XC, which is obviously a higher vehicle. So, we are emphasizing the shape of the shoulder going up to the roof, where as things on the coupe you are not emphasizing the height. Where you haven't got a wagon type rear end, you are emphasizing the shoulder in a different way. But there are obviously going to be a number of design elements that will be different across the different types of vehicles.

Swedespeed - Something that is noticeable on the C30 is the matte black fender arches, similar treatment to the XC. It’s also a trend that you saw also in Europe in the '70s and '80s, of these sort of unpainted portions, body kits, whatever. Is that something that you will see more of on Volvo cars? Traditionally we have seen it more on XC models.



Mattin - Yeah, sure. The whole reason you see that on the C30 is because we saw an opportunity to differentiate the C30 in different ways. It is all about personalization. The base car obviously comes with this little flair on the wheel arch and then the lower sections on the bumpers. If you look at the sports kit where we basically just exchange those parts for body colored. Or, as we decided after previewing the concept car here a year ago, where we got such great positive reaction to actually having a contrasting color down the bottom. So by not only doing it in body color, but also picking a different color where we took the Cosmic white and the bronze color, reaction to that was so positive that we put that into production as well.

So this allows us an opportunity within the Volvo brand. You know, can we take that sort of theme and relate it into other vehicles whether that's an XC or whatever, but to add that little bit more emotional content and personalization which is very important to the customer today. Then you have to look at the electronic industry, mobile phones, whether its the iPod, everyone wants a unique little case for them, different colors, etc. It is very limited what you can actually do in the automotive industry. So you have go to find different ways of giving the customer that personalization opportunity.

Swedespeed - Elements like the contrasting colors, is that something that fits other cars in the range? Is that something an S80 customer or a V70 customer is looking for?

Mattin - No, I don't think that fits the S80 or the V70. It all depends how you actually design all areas, for example the areas which would allow for that flexibility. You wouldn't then take a complete bumper and then just change the bumper. It has to be a sort of lower molding or something. But it could theoretically relate to an XC vehicle in the future.

Swedespeed - I guess I asked about these two cars in particular because they are probably two of your more conservative offerings in the line. Just because you put it on the C30 and you have introduced it, it seems like almost something that younger buyers, or more dynamic buyers might prefer. I just wanted to know where it fits in the brand.

Mattin - If you look at the customer profiles and what these customers actually want out of a vehicle, a younger generation, a more emotional customer, is more likely to want that personalization content and flexibility, variety of combinations and things rather than let's say the older generation, slightly more mature, people who are giving out more money. It is that sort of thinking that we are actually going to bring into the interior, and we are starting with the C30 and the floating center stack you can get as an accessory with the surf panel, something that was shown here at Detroit for the first time a year ago.

Once again the reaction was so positive and it is a great opportunity for us because of the way that we actually produce the interiors and actually have an iconic floating center stack. We can build on that for the future to give us more flexibility and a unique sort of appearance for the interiors.

Swedespeed - You are interpreting that stack in the S80 in a much more luxurious and grown-up way. Is that definitely an element that we will see in most future Volvos?

Mattin - With the S80 we are talking about Scandinavian luxury. It is a totally different market segment than the C30, which is a more of a trend, youth-oriented customer who looks for something different in their car. So you can play with more vivid colors. You can play with different patterns and things, exchangeable areas that maybe you wouldn't do on a more exclusive car.

Swedespeed - Is the floating center stack though? It is a reinterpretation in the S80, but it seems to be a core element at this point. Is that something we'll likely see?



Mattin - That is something that is part of the iconic element of the interior and you will see it going across the whole brand. It will be in every car.

That is why on the (XC60) concept car we have paid a lot of attention to the floating center stack and tried, from a design standpoint, to think about how can we develop it a step further. Produce a center stack, one aspect that is so simple in its normal sleeping mode let's say. Although we have got a more interesting shape, we have gone from a more asymmetrical shape and we have got an aluminum frame that runs around, then actually increases and decreases in size. That adds emotion, but it is a very simple shape at the end of the day. And we have sort of hidden all the controls and buttons in the screen, so you can't see any information except for an outline of the buttons and the four rotary knobs. Everything is flush. You press the start button and the rotary knobs pop out towards you, so when you need to actually activate something it is there. Otherwise its very clean, pure Scandinavian design.

And then we thought about what we could do with buttons in the future. Could they be touch sensitive so you haven't got the individual shut lines. You've just got a graphic?

Then the whole navigation and entertainment area is basically a back projection on this, so you don’t actually see anything until you start it up and then, all of a sudden, all the information appears. So it becomes, how far could we actually push this iconic element in the future?

Swedespeed - It certainly seems that you have pushed that element quite a bit with the XC60, at least in concept form. How reproducible is something like that in the near term for production? Is that something we might see anytime soon?

Mattin - As I said, a number of elements on the car which are basically design innovations, where we have, within design, strived to see how far we can push the boundary and give an inspirational target where we can aim for. I'm not going to talk about upcoming products, but it is something we think could possibly, long term, be developed.

The show car was developed for 3 reasons; one was to tell the world and start positioning as we will be coming up with a new XC to expand our range, the XC60. From the size, proportions and design cues, it sort of picks up on the production car. We introduce its design as a development of the DNA, and some of the new DNA features that will be coming out, not only on the XC60, but on other vehicles. At the same time, we’re also pushing design innovation, to show how creative we are, and within the company what we can aspire to.

Swedespeed - Looking around the stand, you talked about the sub-brands underneath the Volvo badge. On the stand we can see that you have the S60R and the XC90 Sport. How important is the sort of more sporting side of the brand?

Mattin - Well it is obviously not as important for us as it is for BMW, but you can see now by the introduction of the XC90 Sport, basically a market driven addition to the XC90 range, that the customer actually wants a sportier car. The problem is that when you have got a very diverse customer base, 90% don't want that and that is why we offer these versions just like the C30. If you want the sporty version, you can get the body kit. The car is lowered (in Europe). You get bigger wheels. For those that want it slightly more driver-oriented, maybe a more fun driving experience. There is a great potential there, but it is not everyone's cup of tea at the end of the day.

Swedespeed - I guess what I am focusing on is sport. You can look pretty far back into Volvo history. In the '70s you had the 240 GT, you certainly had the R models, some of the best known, the sportier side of your brand. Is that something that is part enough of the brand DNA that you try and push it into branded package? For instance BMW has the M cars, Audi has the unique S and RS line, whatever, but that really fits their brand. Is there something like that within the Volvo brand?

Mattin - It certainly fits a German brand easier, because of the environment of the brand. If you look at BMW, Audi, Mercedes, they have a home market where there is no speed limit on some of the motorways, where getting from A to B is more important for us. It is obviously something that we are looking into for the future.

Swedespeed - I guess that is all I was wondering. Again, I am not really trying to push on future product or anything like that, but more simply wondering more for the Volvo performance enthusiast. Being a brand title as we are, we have those readers who are very performance oriented and that is important to us… not necessarily a characteristic of your typical customer I guess. And so, I really ask for those owners. Since that group is also made up of some of our own enthusiastic owners, I guess I’m asking if (Sport or R) are considered as XC is?



Mattin - Just like the Sport, it makes a huge difference in the drivability of the car and, 2 or 3 years ago, that was probably unthinkable on that type of vehicle to do a sport version. But it is obviously through what has happened on the R line in the past. The wish from the customer has been there - to actually take our vehicles into a new driver-oriented dimension.

Swedespeed - Kind of going on that, obviously it is a core part of the DNA to the Germans with the Autobahn. It’s natural, but in a very global market as it is today, you are looking at China, certainly this is a large market for Volvo. You sort of get pulled into what the brand is as well in other markets. In as much, you look at the Ford portfolio, really the brands that Ford has to compete with the Germans are Volvo, Jaguar and, to a lesser extent, Lincoln. But neither of the brands being German, Volvo or Jaguar, is that something really where there might be more emphasis purely because of positioning within the Ford portfolio?

Mattin - If you look at Jaguar, they are talking about beautiful and fast cars. That has always been part of their heritage. Our heritage is built around the safety aspects of the brand, something that is all we have ever been known for and that will always be our key selling point. We can dress this image through design and that is what we are doing. If you look at the cars, they are becoming not only more emotional, but there is a sportier content to them. If you look at then the XC60, then you can see that straightaway.

Swedespeed - What elements of the design emphasize safety visually?

Mattin - I was referring more there to what you are saying about the sportier aspect of the car. If you take, for example the safety aspect, as it is so important within the brand. Looking at the XC60 concept, I had a few thoughts of how we can actually promote some simple safety aspects there visually.

Taking an extension of what has happened on the C30 with the glass tailgate, you'll notice then on the XC60 we have a two-piece tailgate where we have an additional glass panel along the bottom with areas on either side of the number plate where you can actually look through. To gain that sort of visibility through these areas, obviously because they are down very low, I took an idea which was in the YCC, the little pony tail slot that was in the headrest, but then took it all the way down the back of the seat. So you can theoretically look through the seat, look through the back seat as well and see out to the road behind on a very low condition. So it gives a little sort of added safety benefit when parking, people walking behind the car, low sorts of objects. And that is something that is very simple at the end of the day but is safety related to some aspect, when it comes to better visibility.

In general, to continue, there’s the comfort aspect of the seats. The thought there is that (the open back) is taking away the heat of a seat on a warm day, the stickiness right in the back where your spine is. You’ve got some circulation and ventilation happening so you have probably have a slightly more comfortable driving experience, which is also safety related at the end of the day. Then you think about the ergonomics of the car, driver interface, the simplicity of things. There are lots of connections there that you can actually be drawn back to safety.

Swedespeed - Do you consider at all, as you design, not necessarily solely functional safety like the two-panel glass and those sorts of things, the seats. Is there a part of your design where you are simply trying to communicate the safety rather than functionally being a safety feature… more of just communicating the image?

Mattin - That comes down probably to the DNA as well. Having a fairly strong shoulder, if you take the C30 for example, where we have got that really large shoulder - the biggest shoulder on our smallest car. That gives the impression of a very solid and robust body size. And it actually allows for, by taking the occupants and seating them slightly farther inboard, a larger crumple zone on the side of the car. So yes, it is a styling way of actually wanting to put that emphasis on the sporty, dramatic sort of shoulder, but at the same time that gives the preconception of avid safety.

Swedespeed - If I could just ask two other questions? First, on the XC60, as we have seen reception to it on our forums, one of the comments that we’ve noticed, particularly in regards to the bumper design, some of the characteristics or elements appeared similar to the European Ford design. Is there inspiration drawn from that working out of similar studios?

Mattin - No. We don't work out of similar studios. We obviously have a connection within the brands. So we know to a certain extent, at least on my level, what the other brands are doing - obviously not on a day-to-day basis. Whatever there is then is totally coincidental because the products were done at similar times - in the DNA of the bumpers, where we had tried to pick up on the line which comes under the headlamps and drops down toward the lower intake. That is something we sort of started on the XC90, these sort of cheek bones. It is something that you can see across all of our cars in the DNA on what we will be developing for the future. It is very difficult for me to look and see actually where the similarity is because the one section could be a slight undercut in the body side.

Swedespeed - If I remember correctly, I was reading up on people's reactions because I knew I was going to speak with you, I think it was around the rear, just basically the rear lower bumper. You know how the Focus ST sort of has that distinct triangular shaping around the lights and exhaust - the bumper elements that are there to accent on the ST more than the regular Focus?

Mattin - - If you look at it, there is obviously a general trend to on those type of vehicles, crossovers, to put some emphasis on some sort of skid plate front and rear to sort of promote the off-road capabilities and the sportiness of the vehicle. I don't see any similarity, more so than any other vehicle out there.

We were pretty clear on what we wanted to do. We sort of sat down and said we obviously have a production car but we wanted to make the show car also a design statement. It was never planned to do a teaser like the C30 was. It is a step further than that. Obviously we have shown what we can do with the design and some of the things we are going to build off of in the future.

Swedespeed - Reaction to the car definitely seems to be positive. Is it something like the SCC? As I understood that concept, it was never intended to be built but because of the overwhelming reaction to it, the C30 happened. Is that something we have here too? Reaction seems to be positive so far.



Mattin - There is an XC60 planned for production and we have basically finalized everything. It is not as close as the C30 was and that is basically because of a timing standpoint and also because it is time for me to show where we are going with the brand and where the future is for the Volvo brand - how its DNA can and will show that we are a very creative team of dedicated people with a lot of ideas, how we can take some of our iconic elements like the floating center stack and how we can develop that for the future and to put that as a point of aspiration.

Swedespeed - One last question. What would you say, in your opinion, the top three most beautiful cars are?

Mattin - One of my number one dream cars was always the Mercedes gull wing, 300SL and that was right from an early age. I guess because it was so influential for the time. The gull wings really stood out and it has been an icon ever since. It basically started out the whole SL range of vehicles and having the opportunity in my time with the old company to actually develop and design today's SL was a great opportunity for me.

Other cars… There are so many great cars. You do tend to look back to some of the classics from the past because they stay in your mind. Whether it is the E-Type, sometimes there are too many. It is one of the most difficult questions you can ask me. I mean the top three cars of all times are probably the one's that we haven't created yet. Things that we are sort of working on, ideas that are floating around in my head. Maybe the XC60 will be one of them.

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