Volvo XC70 Surf Rescue On Patrol at the 2007 SEMA Show
LAS VEGAS, Oct. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Lifeguards on Southern California's
famous beaches have been glamorized by Hollywood for decades. While they
share the spirit of adventure and camaraderie, these dedicated men and
women are highly trained professionals who take safety very seriously. Half
a world away, a Volvo designer in Sweden who is captivated by lifeguard
skill competitions accepted the challenge to design a show car for his
heroes. The result, Volvo's XC70 Surf Rescue (SR) concept, pays homage to
the brave individuals who protect and serve the ocean-going public.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20071030/LATU195)
At the Volvo Concept Center in Gothenburg, Sweden, Joel Alexandersson
was charged with creating the conceptual design for a one-of-a-kind rescue
vehicle that upholds Volvo's core value of safety in a bold and dynamic new
way. The XC70 SR's interior concept was assigned to Volvo's styling center
in Barcelona, Spain. Larry Abele, design manager at the Volvo Monitoring
and Concept Center (VMCC) in Camarillo, California, coordinated the global
teamwork and vehicle build.
As a testament to Volvo's advanced design capabilities, the XC70 SR
concept was initially created in a virtual world. "The entire design
process was performed digitally," says Abele. "This enabled us to review
and modify the design in real time by projecting it onto large scale
screens at each studio."
Volvo selected the Aria Group in Irvine, California, to build the
concept. Starting with a production XC70, the Aria team completely stripped
the vehicle of its paint, trim, bumpers and interior. Custom-designed parts
were crafted for the concept without the traditional method of building
clay models. Being able to go directly from digital designs to a process
called rapid prototyping greatly reduces development time.
Guided by the surfing lifestyle and casual beach culture, the XC70 SR's
paint scheme is developed specifically for the show car by DuPont. Colors
are selected from DuPont's Global Advanced Design Show, which represents
cutting edge trends in automotive color. The exterior yellow is a
multi-layer effect coating incorporating a vibrant color with pearl like
qualities. The secondary red uses a tinted clear to produce high chroma
with warm undertones. These exotic finishes use DuPont's wet on wet coating
technology for multi layer effects without the high cost of multiple baking
steps.
Eye-catching Surf Rescue graphics are added for instant recognition on
a crowded beach. The exterior also sports a custom-crafted front fascia
that wears a one-off milled aluminum billet grille. Front and rear skid
plates and wider wheel lip cladding provide extra body protection from
flying sand. The new fascias also reduce front and rear overhang, thereby
improving approach and departure angles.
The chassis is lifted an additional five inches from the stock ride
height for improved ground clearance. It also makes way for a massive set
of custom designed 20-inch wheels and Pirelli 275/45R20 tires
(http://www.pirellityre.com) made specifically for the XC70 SR. The tread
is designed for increased grip on loose and sandy soil with the flexibility
to provide excellent traction both on and off the road. The rear subframe
is beefed-up for added ruggedness with milled aluminum billet components.
True to form, the XC70 SR is topped by a unique aerodynamically
designed roof-mounted emergency light bar integrated with a rescue board
rack. Not only does this treatment contribute to the stunning good looks of
the vehicle, it also helps to reduce wind drag by attaching directly to the
XC70's OEM supplied roof rails.
When it's time to respond to a call, the driver or front passenger can
activate a barrage of flashing blue strobe emergency lights. In addition to
the roof, they're neatly inset into the lower front valance panel,
headlight and rear combination light clusters as well as the inside
rearview mirror.
Lifeguards get wet and sandy on the job so the interior is modified for
heavy-duty use -- without sacrificing style. The XC70's standard front
bucket and folding rear seats are recovered in wetsuit style neoprene
fabric that's custom tailored in black and gray with bright yellow inserts.
Decorative interior panels throughout the cabin are yellow tinted with
clear to segue with the spirit of the exterior hue.
Bulky emergency rescue gear housed in the cargo compartment can easily
be accessed via the XC70's power rear tailgate. Secured to the neoprene
covered floor are two scuba tanks, an oxygen tank, a small first aid kit, a
resuscitator box and a large waterproof box containing additional medical
supplies and surf rescue equipment.
The XC70's 3.2-liter in-line 6-cylinder normally aspirated engine
produces 235 horsepower and 236 lb.-ft. of torque. It's mated to a
six-speed "Geartronic" automatic transmission that enables the driver to
shift manually when desired. All-wheel-drive with Instant Traction(TM) is
standard. Electronic Hill Descent Control (HDC) uses the vehicle's brakes
and engine torque to crawl in bottom gear on steep downhill slopes.
The Volvo Monitoring and Concept Center recently celebrated its 20th
anniversary. Volvo's team of Southern California visionaries report to Jan
Hedegaard-Broch, vice president and general manager of VMCC. The
volume-leading Volvo S60, first generation flagship S80, highly acclaimed
XC90 and the svelte C70 owe their fundamental designs to VMCC. So does the
Volvo Safety Concept Car (SCC), whose design inspired the Volvo C30.
Aria Group has grown from a two-person design and engineering company
in 1995 to an internationally recognized full-service product development
firm. Its team members have diverse and specialized backgrounds in design,
engineering, modeling, rapid prototyping, fabrication and manufacturing.
Their capabilities include prototype fabrication, advanced composites,
digital prototyping and 3-, 4- and 5-axis machining. Refer to
http://www.ariagroup.com for more information.
VCNA provides marketing, sales, service, technology and training to
Volvo automobile retailers in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico. For
more information on specific production vehicles or special vehicles please
refer to the Volvo Cars of North America, LLC public relations website at:
http://www.volvocars-pr.com.
SOURCE Volvo Cars Of North America
 back to top
Related links:
http://www.volvocars.com
http://www.ariagroup.com
Photo Notes:
NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20071030/LATU195
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org AP PhotoExpress
Network: PRN20 PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
CONTACT:
James Hope, Product Communications Manager of
Volvo Cars of North America, +1-949-735-7827
|
