AUTO RED BOOK REVIEW: VOLVO CONCEPT YOU

On The Cover Review: Volvo Concept You

Editor's Note: Each year, The Automobile Red Book visits the prestigious North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Thanks to worldwide coverage, the NAIAS draws the latest and greatest from car and truck manufacturers around the globe. Many of them use this venue to showcase their newest concept cars. Although not available to the public, these cars often predict the styles and trends that may hit the streets in the near future. This is the seventh in a series of The Automobile Red Book’s annual review of some of the best concepts from COBO Hall.

The Volvo Concept You actually first appeared at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2011, but it resurfaced at the NAIAS in January. This wasn’t the most substantial concept, as it didn’t hint to any futuristic powertrain, or really any powertrain at all. Supposedly, it could use a four-cylinder engine, though. It was just a big, low-slung four-door concept car—pretty generic, actually. The back looked a lot like a Jaguar. The front had a Volvo grill, but was fairly bland. The interior was fashioned from fancy fabric and wool. The best part about this car was probably just the concept car-i-ness of it all. The wheels were too big to be production. The door handles were too delicate. The interior contained clear Lucite controls and an upper console hovering over a lower console. It’s all a bit ridiculous, and yet quite entertaining to look at. Still, the sloping roof line may hint at future styling features on future production models.