Volvo Cars Adds a Little Luxury With Excellence Child Safety Seat Concept

PR61070

GOTHENBURG, Sweden, July 2/PRN=KYODO JBN/ --

    Volvo Cars' design team have completely re-imagined how children could

travel safely in cars in the future.  

    The move follows the Shanghai reveal of the XC90 Excellence and the Lounge

Console Concept, which marked a bold and luxurious step forward for the Swedish

car brand.

    To view the Multimedia News Release, please click:

    http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7559451-excellence-child-seat-concept

    "We started by asking ourselves if we could make life easier for parents

and safer for their children when it comes to the child seat experience. We

focused on three key benefits - making it easier to get the child into and out

of the child seat from an ergonomic and comfort perspective, providing the

child with a safe rearward facing seating position that enables it to keep

eye-contact with either the driver or the rear passenger and of course

including enough storage for those vital child accessories, such as diapers,

bottles, wipes, and so on," said Tisha Johnson, Chief Designer Interiors at

Volvo Cars Concept and Monitoring Centre.

    According to Tisha Johnson the idea originated in a conversation with Volvo

Cars' owner Li Shufu when he reviewed the XC90 Excellence Lounge Console

Concept earlier this year and thought about how else the space left by removing

a front passenger seat could be used. The design team at Volvo Cars took on the

challenge and in the process re-imagined the way in which small children can

travel.

    The resulting concept enables the parent to swivel the seat

counter-clockwise when seating the child and then lock the seat in a rearward

facing position. The concept also provides storage for small items beside the

seat and a storage space underneath for diapers, blankets, or other larger

items and enough space for a tote bag at the front of the seat under the

dashboard.

    The Excellence Child Seat Concept, which also provides a function to help

small children safely lean back and sleep, is based on Volvo's clear safety

position; that small children should travel rearward facing as long as possible

(at least up to the age of 3 or 4). This is primarily due to the lack of

muscular strength in the necks of small children and the disproportionate head

size and weight* in relation to the body.

    "For us the safety, convenience, and emotional factors outweigh everything

else. Being able to maintain eye contact with your child from the rear seat ,

or being able to keep a bottle warm in the heated cup holders in the XC90

Excellence, would go a long way towards making life easier for parents taking

their small child on a trip. Such alternative seating arrangements will become

increasingly important as we move towards autonomous vehicles," added Tisha

Johnson.

    The Excellence Child Seat Concept is a clear example of how Volvo Cars'

Design Team is meeting the challenge of adding a luxury touch to the Swedish

car maker's portfolio.

    "We have been investigating the nature of progressive luxury for some time

and we see a direct connection between luxury and emotional wellbeing. So we

have taken the next step in redefining how the interior of a car can be used to

suit our customers' needs. We have always placed a great deal of importance on

child safety, but this takes things to the next level," concluded Tisha Johnson.

    Note to Editors:

    A picture accompanying this release is available through the PA Photowire.

It can be downloaded from http://www.pa-mediapoint.press.net or viewed at

http://www.mediapoint.press.net or http://www.prnewswire.co.uk .

    (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140522/683630 )

    (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150701/227598 )

    Contact:

    Stefan Elfstrom

    Media Relations Manager

    Corporate Communications

    Volvo Car Corporation

    Dept. 50250/PVH50

    Goteborg

    Sweden

    Telephone +46-31-3251878

    Stefan.elfstrom@volvocars.com

    Source: Volvo Car Group