Woman-designed concept car raises some hackles
By: Staff
Date: 2004-03-16
Volvo insists it's not a "women's car" but rather a car designed from women's perspective. Nevertheless, the concept car unveiled last week at the Geneva International Auto Show is raising some hackles.
Concept cars are a good way to 'trial balloon' design ideas and test public reaction. The Volvo car was designed by a group of women selected from Volvo's corporate structure and it wasn't intended to be a "women's car" but rather a car designed with women's input. It may be played up in some press as a "women's car," explained Volvo spokesman Dan Johnston, but it was really design perspective rather than women buyers that the women wanted to address.
Some of the features are novel and many are a departure from the conventional in car design:
- There is no hood! "Honestly, the only time I open the bonnet (hood) on my car is when I want to fill up washer fluid," explained Tatiana Butovitsch, the project team's communications manager, "So we shifted the filling station for washer fluid to the side of the car, next to where you fill up fuel, and we closed the bonnet for good."
- The car comes with special parallel parking assist electronics and bumpers all around, features some felt would be demeaning to women! One design team member noted that the wraparound bumpers allowed for "creative" female driving.
- Headrests have room for ponytails.
- An adjustable footrest allows for different heel heights.
- There is no gas cap -- a flap allows for insertion of the gas nozzle.
- There's no tachometer - it's for drivers who don't care about engine revs.
- The engine is a low-emission, gasoline-electric hybrid.
- It's low maintenance. It only needs an oil change every 50,000 km and when it does, the car's communications system sends a message to the dealer and an appointment for the job is automatically made.
- It has exchangeable seat covers with matching carpet, also dirt repellant window glass.
- The bottoms of the rear seats fold up, just like theatre seats do, providing more storage space between the seats.
- It has sensors that enable for easier parking.
Functionality and simplicity are the hallmarks of the car's design. Volvo, which is part of Ford Motor Co., had no difficulty recruiting a female design team, since about 20% of the Swedish company's 28,159 employees world wide are women.
The project team included five female managers and an additional 20 or so who made all decisions regarding interior and exterior design.
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