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It's "Curtains UP" on the 2006 Volvo C70 Coupé/Convertible

  

In More Ways Than One

  

July 15, 2005

 

Ask us, at Drive and Stay Alive, to name auto makers with the safest, reasonably affordable range of cars in the world and we would do so using just the fingers of one hand (well, four fingers to be precise). And as a long-term overview, it would be impossible for us not to put Volvo at the head of the list -- the others being Mercedes, Renault and Honda, but not necessarily in that order.

  

Volvo is currently in the process of revealing its new, 2006 C70 -- a convertible coupé -- which will be unveiled to the public for the first time at the 2005 Frankfurt Motor Show in mid-September, with sales beginning in the U.S. in the spring of 2006. 

  

With its innovative three-piece retractable hardtop, the second generation C70 is a car that offers the best of both worlds. With the top up, it's a sporty coupe with dramatic, head-turning style. With the top stowed below the rear deck, it's an open-air convertible that invites wind-in-the-hair fun and excitement. What makes the all-new C70 even more appealing is that there is room for four people.

"We've succeeded in creating an attractive convertible which, at the mere touch of a button, converts into an equally elegant coupe. The customer gets two cars in one. Both with space for four adults," says Volvo Cars President and CEO Hans-Olov Olsson.

  

Style-conscious convertible buyers will find the design of all-new C70 offers all of the freedom of a soft top, with the utility and personal security that only a hardtop can deliver. The forward-thrusting nose section and aggressively raked rear glass gives the car a powerful profile. "Putting together harmonious lines both with and without a roof is no easy job," says Fedde Talsma, design manager for the all new Volvo C70. "We decided to start with the bold shape of a sports coupe and when we were satisfied with the result, we made the necessary adjustments to create a convertible." Along its flowing fenders are the now ubiquitous shoulders that have become a Volvo design icon.
  

The all-new Volvo C70 was developed to offer new standards of preventive and protective safety in the convertible market. The car has an advanced body structure and several solutions that make it unique among open-top cars. The lack of a fixed roof has been compensated for by reinforcements in the structure and sophisticated safety technology. One unique example is the new door-mounted inflatable curtain, which is part of the enhanced protection system for side impacts. Since the door-mounted inflatable curtain cannot be fitted within the headliner [i.e. the roof] like other Volvos, it is fitted in the door and inflates upwards when it is deployed. [Photo right]

  

Volvo's safety engineers have fine-tuned the door-mounted inflatable curtain to be extra stiff. As a result, it remains upright for a longer period of time and helps to better protect the head in the event of a side impact. In addition, the curtain deflates slowly to help provide additional protection if the car rolls over. This is a unique solution in the automotive world.
  

The body structure, in a carefully designed network of beams, not only contributes to the car's high safety standards, it also gives the body extremely high torsional rigidity -- twice as high as that of the previous C70 Convertible. With the roof up, torsional rigidity is increased by an impressive 10-15 percent over the convertible.
  

"A torsionally rigid body is important to the car's ride and handling traits," says C70 project manager Patrik Widerstrand. "It makes the car more stable and easier to control. It also makes the car more dynamic and fun to drive."

  

The development and manufacture of the all-new Volvo C70 is the result of a joint venture with renowned Italian company Pininfarina. "Pininfarina is an excellent partner with long experience of developing and building convertibles," said Hans-Olov Olsson. Like its predecessor, the car will be built in Uddevalla, Sweden.

Volvo seats and head restraints -- as seen above -- represent world-leading technology in the prevention of whiplash injuries. It can also be seen here that the rear-seat seatbelts have their high point in between the two passengers and therefore buckle on the outboard side of each person. When we [DSA] saw the gray objects immediately behind the rear head restraints it was immediately assumed that these were the covers of pop-up bars that protect the rear passengers' heads in the unlikely event of a roll-over, and a quick phone call to James Hope of the Volvo Product Communications department confirmed this. The proper name is the Roll-Over Protection System, or 'ROPS'. 

Source: Volvo Cars North America