Being close in size to the S60, this coupe could be a replacement for the outgoing C70. But Volvo ensures all that the upcoming C50, the C70's true replacement, won't look like the YCC at all. The concept's overall shape is quite unique really, as it's not quite a true coupe and then again not really a hatchback. It's both, but it also takes on styling cues from Volvo's classic P1800 two-door station wagon of the late '60s early '70s.
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| Close to the size of the S60, the YCC is not quite a true coupe and then again not really a hatchback. (Photo: Volvo Cars of Canada) |
The car's most radical departure from convention is a set of gullwing doors, that open up and out like a bird's wings. Such doors were made legendary on the revered Mercedes-Benz 300SL coupe from the 1950s, and afterward copied on exotic sports cars over the years with the "Back to the Future" DeLorean DMC-12 being the most famous since. The YCC's metal and glass doors expand just 60 cm (23.6 inches) from the vehicle after electrically operated mechanisms extend them fully, making openings in the roof panel for easier ingress and egress. When fully open they take up much less room than regular doors. Normally such extravagance remains relegated concept car status, but Volvo has stated that gullwing doors could end up on future production cars: the Swedish automaker has actually gone out and patented the unique mechanism.
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| Probably the most radical element of the YCC has to be the set of gullwing doors. (Photo: Volvo Cars of Canada) |
While the doors are convenient, reliability and ease of use would rate higher on the average consumers' list of demands. That's why new cars are approaching a state where they require less and less owner input. Sure, dealer servicing is still required, but as a rule new cars are (generally) less finicky than in years prior. Volvo wants to improve on this low-maintenance characteristic even further, and in the case of the YCC does so by including runflat tires and an on-board computer that runs real time diagnostics tests and then contacts the dealer when servicing is required. But that's not all. Much like Audi's A2 the YCC doesn't have a hood, but rather allows its potential owner to check the oil and fill up the windshield washer fluid in a dedicated "service bay."