I think Chinese cars have a certain look and feel to their interiors (and sometimes exteriors) especially if designed for the Chinese market. Just look at how Japanese cars place their mirros in a particular place on fenders and design cars for different markets, Chinese cars have an emphasis on certain material patterns and especially interfaces that are particular to China. German cars have their particular look and feel as do Italian cars. Volvo has a Scandinavian sense and they haven't lost it with the Geely ownership. Now if Volvo uses Geely's SEA that was developed in large part by a Swedish engineer. Chinese and apparently don't have any problem using some Western designers and engineers. And why not. The world is getting more global. But I think plenty great engineers and designers will come out of China as well. Where Chinese seem to be exceptional is making existing technologies more efficient and doing it quickly but I think they're utterly capable of making innovations of their own. Some Western people limit them and say they need to copy or steal Western ideas but I don't agree whatsoever with that. And all manufacturers use ideas from others.
2024 Volvo EX30 Debut Confirmed For June 15 Debut
Looks like Thursday Jun 15, 2023 the EX30 will debut.
www.motor1.com
2024 Volvo EX30 Debut Confirmed For June 15 Debut With "Decent Range"
Volvo Cars CEO Jim Rowan has announced the EX30 entry-level EV will premiere in mid-June, adding it'll be a good size despite being smaller than the XC40.
www.motor1.com
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Because a lot of people are not finding the news and letting the media dictates to them what the news is. Letting the politics between two nations affect the real world. China this, and that. And the almighty USA is the good of the world...and we have plenty of issues to fix here...so so many.Ummmm no. It has been made clear that Sweden has full control over the company. It’s really getting tiresome to keep seeing these comments about “China” as nothing but negative. China single-handedly gave Volvo 11 billion dollars to build the SPA platform and look at the success. Why on earth does the location have anything to do with how the company designs cars? It doesn’t. Just like the quality of cars build in Chine are not only equal but higher because of newer technology.
Anyway.. it is tiresome to hear that specific thought line. I wonder what the people that were here before me said when it was toiling under Ford. And somebody actually said they'd rather have it die the way SAAB did in a post than have it under China because Volvo lost its ethos. And yet have the best years in company history and had momentum growing. I tried to hold my tongue on that one.
Sorry, I'm going on but I just had to state some people's stupidity when hiding behind a keyboard and not putting a name to your face.
True. But to be fair, Bobberone didn't doubt the quality or the technology of the EX90, but the styling. European and Chinese customers do have different tastes, yet this doesn't mean that the EX90 was designed in China. Large, free-standing dashboard screens and smartphone-styled infoscreens behind the steering wheel are apparently a general trend in the automotive industry. They go away from the "cocoon"-like interiors with high consoles between the seats (as the Polestar 2 still has). They go towards airy/spacy interiors with flat consoles. I think that Tesla started this trend with the Model 3.Some people can continue living in their Western bubbles, China has reached a level of advancement in automotive technology that can rival and even better established European brands in some areas. Wake up…
I noticed that thing about Chinese car interiors as well. Just look at Lynk&Co interiors (which by the way aren't the same in their variants for China and for the EU). It seems to be like "give me every possible material, lots of it, at the same time! Give me huuuge screens, a lot of them!" When there is something about the EX90's interior that looks Chinese to me (i.e. designed for Chinese customers in mind), then it's the backlit wood. It's totally unnecessary, and I wonder if Volvo designers had invented this gadget if the EX90 wasn't meant to be sold in China.I think Chinese cars have a certain look and feel to their interiors (and sometimes exteriors) especially if designed for the Chinese market. Just look at how Japanese cars place their mirros in a particular place on fenders and design cars for different markets, Chinese cars have an emphasis on certain material patterns and especially interfaces that are particular to China. German cars have their particular look and feel as do Italian cars. Volvo has a Scandinavian sense and they haven't lost it with the Geely ownership. Now if Volvo uses Geely's SEA that was developed in large part by a Swedish engineer. Chinese and apparently don't have any problem using some Western designers and engineers. And why not. The world is getting more global. But I think plenty great engineers and designers will come out of China as well. Where Chinese seem to be exceptional is making existing technologies more efficient and doing it quickly but I think they're utterly capable of making innovations of their own. Some Western people limit them and say they need to copy or steal Western ideas but I don't agree whatsoever with that. And all manufacturers use ideas from others.
as someone familiar with Asian culture, for the life of me I can not see anything but Swedish design It like people are trying to create a controversy. Volvos backlit wood is elegant, subtle and understated. Literally interior lighting is an area Volvo was lacking in when compared to EVERY other competitor. It’s mind blowing to me to think someone would believe this was due to Chinese influence. The EX90 is the most Swedish car interior I think Volvo has ever made. Are people really that ignorant about Swedish design?!" When there is something about the EX90's interior that looks Chinese to me (i.e. designed for Chinese customers in mind), then it's the backlit wood. It's totally unnecessary, and I wonder if Volvo designers had invented this gadget if the EX90 wasn't meant to be sold in China.
Why ambient lighting though? It's just fancy, serves no purpose (as opposite to real overhead reading lamps). Isn't Scandinavian design the art of leaving things away and creating beauty through the material itself and the way it is crafted? In this regard, ambient lighting is per se not really scandinavian. It's rather something that some people expect because the competition has it.
I think the backlit wood is Volvo's style of ambient lighting. It's still just one color, however. In the C40 there is lighting behind the plastic inlay.I noticed that thing about Chinese car interiors as well. Just look at Lynk&Co interiors (which by the way aren't the same in their variants for China and for the EU). It seems to be like "give me every possible material, lots of it, at the same time! Give me huuuge screens, a lot of them!" When there is something about the EX90's interior that looks Chinese to me (i.e. designed for Chinese customers in mind), then it's the backlit wood. It's totally unnecessary, and I wonder if Volvo designers had invented this gadget if the EX90 wasn't meant to be sold in China.
Because some of us don’t like to sit in the pitch black. The wood lighting serves a real purpose that many of us have come to appreciate and find extremely useful. Customers do expect it….because it’s a very popular feature almost every luxury car owner now has.Why ambient lighting though? It's just fancy, serves no purpose (as opposite to real overhead reading lamps). Isn't Scandinavian design the art of leaving things away and creating beauty through the material itself and the way it is crafted? In this regard, ambient lighting is per se not really scandinavian. It's rather something that some people expect because the competition has it.
Volvo is still strictly Scandinavian and not affected by Chinese style of luxury.
Cars from Chinese car makers got better material and interior decorations, because people want those even on entry level cars and car makers are competing fiercely.
Leather seats with fancy stitch pattern, panaroma sunroofs, alcantera, colorful lightning, controlled fragrance release, are quite common in their cars, priced well below Mercedes/Audi/BMW price level. Wood trim is more expensive and not everywhere yet. Lynkco cars are examples of these.
People there think Volvo style is plain, natural but not that luxury.
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Cars from Chinese car makers got better material and interior decorations, because people want those even on entry level cars and car makers are competing fiercely.
Leather seats with fancy stitch pattern, panaroma sunroofs, alcantera, colorful lightning, controlled fragrance release, are quite common in their cars, priced well below Mercedes/Audi/BMW price level. Wood trim is more expensive and not everywhere yet. Lynkco cars are examples of these.
People there think Volvo style is plain, natural but not that luxury.
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There's a very interesting interview (which I will endevour to find and post) with Peter Horbury after a few years as head of global design at Geely talking about what makes a car designed for or aligned with Chinese market tastes. Patterns and details in materials or trim finishes which aren't a Western consumer thing or preference. Plus he mentioned how to tweak a car to suit both markets with sections of trim or options so one base design can go to both markets. Local adaption of a Western designed car or vice versa or ideally doing it in parallel as the two are developed so it becomes more so a suite of trim options on the same interior backing etc. Yes Volvo is Scandinavian but their last Swedish chief designer was Jans Wilsgaard (1950-1991) and Peter Horbury who took over in 1992 is British, next Steve Mattin also British (his Volvos the S60 and V60 were accused of looking too Asian in their design), next Peter Horbury again (British), then Thomas Ingenlath (German) then Robin Page (British). Yet all that time Volvo was leveraging Scandinavian design. Design studios in California, Madrid, Goteborg and now Shanghai. Truely multinational design team designing "Scandinavian cars". Same is true of German brands too. Design studios all over the world.
That's why it's important to have Volvo's design be centered and approved in Sweden. Yes, the designers may not be Swedes but they are still in the center of Scandinavian design and could feel it around them. I think it is color and texture as well as design that creates a sense of Scandinavian design. It is true that designers are located in different areas in most companies and that the same designers go from brand to brand.
What you have to realize is what Volvo is selling besides safety is Swedish design.
This doesn’t change just because the market changes.
They’re not trying to sell American cars to Americans. They’re selling Swedish design.
Same thing in China. They’re not selling cars with Chinese design cues. They’re selling Swedish design to Chinese consumers who are willing to pay for Swedish design.
Just like America, where there are people for whom it’s Ford or GM design or nothing, there are people I. China who like Chinese designed cars. This is not Volvo’s market. There are also people in the US who appreciate Swedish design. Same in China.
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This doesn’t change just because the market changes.
They’re not trying to sell American cars to Americans. They’re selling Swedish design.
Same thing in China. They’re not selling cars with Chinese design cues. They’re selling Swedish design to Chinese consumers who are willing to pay for Swedish design.
Just like America, where there are people for whom it’s Ford or GM design or nothing, there are people I. China who like Chinese designed cars. This is not Volvo’s market. There are also people in the US who appreciate Swedish design. Same in China.
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First, I want to apologize in advance to the Volvo lifers, and this doesn't come from a place of disrespect. But I wouldn't have batted an eye at the Volvo brand if it wasn't for the Volvo Concept coupe and what came after. For me, the lineup prior was not aesthetically pleasing. And for those that want performance, there was nothing in Volvo's lineup of transverse-based cars that could compare to the full RS, M, and AMG of the germans. Now it's a different story. IMO is one of the better-looking overall lineups but it is slowly aging. In the EV world, its almost a level playing field, and aesthetics and UI will be the big differentiators for most buyers. And after sale customer service!What you have to realize is what Volvo is selling besides safety is Swedish design.
This doesn’t change just because the market changes.
They’re not trying to sell American cars to Americans. They’re selling Swedish design.
Same thing in China. They’re not selling cars with Chinese design cues. They’re selling Swedish design to Chinese consumers who are willing to pay for Swedish design.
Just like America, where there are people for whom it’s Ford or GM design or nothing, there are people I. China who like Chinese designed cars. This is not Volvo’s market. There are also people in the US who appreciate Swedish design. Same in China.
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As for the American brands, an example, I think the Lyriq is well designed but just as I suspected, that execution is not (Build quality is lacking so far - Source: 2023 Cadillac Lyriq SUVOTY Review: Bespoke Luxury). On multiple reviews, the interiors felt cheap, and so forth. That same sentiment is probably prevailing in GM and Ford in general.
Toyota and Honda have built their reputation for reliability and safety in general.
Honda has become real conservative with design lately. They do seem to have different versions for Europe than for North America. Acura/Honda is being seriously challenged by more adventurous Korean designs. Toyota is taking a few chances with interior and exterior design. I guess both are still very reliable but inevitable complexity, especially with hybrid cars, makes for some maintenance headaches with some of their models. I've been taking Ubers and Lyfts in NJ sometimes and have been in a good amount of late model Hondas and Toyotas. I'm pretty impressed with the Toyotas in terms of solidity and ride comfort. The Hondas are good but not quite as nice. But the interiors are built to a budget and could use more style in both. The few Hyundais and Kias I've been in were more stylish, and nice as cars.
Yep, it looks like it was designed as it is from the beginning (unlike the EX90 that looks like having been changed late in the product development). It closely resembles Concept Recharge (and thus, the front is a bit Polestar-ish). I like it even better than the XC40, although I'm not interested in buying one (wrong form factor, a Polestar 2 wagon is what I need).
The rear looks like P*2 Wagon Cross Country. It is conservative overall.
I'd say the two horizontal bars between tail lights are excessive and looks better if removed. Or only keep the left and right part of bottom bar.
I'd prefer to P*4 over this. But price of EX30 is likely lower, maybe in the range between $40k and 60k?
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I'd say the two horizontal bars between tail lights are excessive and looks better if removed. Or only keep the left and right part of bottom bar.
I'd prefer to P*4 over this. But price of EX30 is likely lower, maybe in the range between $40k and 60k?
Sent from my moto g power (XT2041DL) using Tapatalk
Volvo EX30 patent pictures
youtube.com
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