Thin Floating Centre Console provides a big visual impact

• Sources of inspiration outside the car world
• Minimalist product design
• Extremely slim Floating Centre Console with functional design
• The ultimate design icon of S40 and V50
• Discreet theatre lighting promotes a cosy interior

The S40 introduces an entirely new approach to interior design - with the unique stand-alone Floating Centre Console. This is an entirely new design direction in the car industry, specially developed for the new S40 and V50 and previewed recently in the Volvo VCC (Versatility Concept Car).

One of the interior design challenges was to provide a perception of space and airiness despite the compact body. This required new approaches and a decision was taken to tackle the design work from an entirely fresh angle. The design team turned its attention to many sources of inspiration beyond the car world.

"If you want to be innovative, there is little point in looking at what the competition is doing. It is far more valuable to look at what they're not doing," says Henrik Otto.

A chair, an idea, a revolution in interior design
A natural influence was the Scandinavian design tradition of clean surfaces and uncluttered lines - along with a natural lightness of material and structure. A couple of excellent examples are the world-famous designer Arne Jacobsen's classic compression-moulded chairs Series 7 and the Ant chair, along with Alvar Aalto's typically Nordic functional architecture and furniture design.

Trends in high-tech quality products such as audio systems, cameras and computers were also a rich source of inspiration. Not just in terms of form and function but also for ways of using and combining new materials - and of making them part of the overall experience.

These ventures into parallel environments provided inspiration, and they also formed the very foundation for how the interior of the new S40 and new V50 would be designed.

Minimalist expression for maximum impact
In order to best utilise the various materials available and link them together in a natural way, the interior was built up in layers, with the Floating Centre Console as the topmost, free-standing feature. With its prominent position, it constitutes the car's foremost control panel, like the remote control in the modern home entertainment system.

Behind the Floating Centre Console there is a practical storage compartment for personal items, easily accessible from both sides. This space is discreetly illuminated, further enhancing the impression of a free-standing stacked panel - and the feeling of intelligent function.

Since a modern audio system with a CD player does not require as much lateral space as the older cassette player units, width too could be minimised. The result is a very slim panel with a minimalist appearance, further contributing to a particularly noticeable sense of interior space.

"The panel is the ultimate icon of the car and a revolution in itself. It required considerable ingenuity and hard work to find a technical solution for this super-slim format," says Guy Burgoyne, interior designer.

Four décor levels
Like the other panels in the car, the Floating Centre Console can be customised with a variety of décor panels. The choice allows the buyer to tailor the car's interior to suit individual tastes.
Floating Centre Console décor effects:

• S40 2.4 and V50 2.4: a grey finish
• S40 2.4 SE and V50 2.4 SE: a wood-effect finish
• S40 T5 and V50 T5: a brushed aluminium finish (genuine aluminium)
• Optional on S40 and V50: a translucent, funky Iced Aqua finish

Multi-function controls
The controls in the new Floating Centre Console have an ergonomic and functional design. Most offer multiple functions in a logical and convenient way. The top half of the control panel is used to operate the audio system and the integrated phone, while the lower half controls the climate system.

The main system functions are regulated via the four large rotary controls. All the minor function buttons are collected together in a panel that resembles a hand-held remote control. All the push-buttons have a marked profile to avoid pressing two buttons at the same time.

The audio system in S40 and V50 can be specified with the Dolby Surround Pro Logic II, the same level of high-class car audio technology that was introduced in the Volvo XC90.

Theatre lighting
The interior of the new S40 and new V50 has a number of discreet lighting points. The overall effect is of theatre lighting, with soft illumination of various parts of the interior. The Floating Centre Console, for instance, is constantly illuminated from the roof, so softly and gently that the light does not distract the driver. The light is only noticed when the driver moves a hand towards a control, thus assisting in operation in the dark. This is yet another sign of the consideration and creativity that characterises the design of the new S40 and new V50.