Get Inside the All-New S40 With Volvo Chief Design Director Henrik Otto

The all-new Volvo S40 exhibits many subtle Scandinavian influences. For more information on the S40, visit the Volvo Cars website. DEARBORN -- "If you look at the interior of the all new Volvo S40 -- particularly the center control panel -- the headline would be 'what other people do for concept cars Volvo does for production cars,'" says Volvo chief designer, Henrik Otto. But before the drivers get to see the innovative interior, they have the exterior to absorb. What's the news there? "One of the ambitions was to make the cars look very solid, to show they are well engineered and well put together," says Otto. "It's form and function in harmony because that's what makes good design."

"The exterior makes some promises about what the car is. It talks to your heart more than your brain, to stimulate an emotional reaction. Then, when you go up to it, your brain reconfirms all the functionality.

"It's always the heart that convinces the brain. The brain confirms with rational reasons why you can like or dislike something," he says.

There are many subtle Scandinavian influences to the exterior design of the S40 and V50. But they are more about what you cannot see than what you can. "The Scandinavian influence is more about how you approach and solve design problems," says Otto.

"There's a lot of intuitive thinking in the exterior design of S40 and V50. We've taken away things we don't need. This removes the visual noise and makes the cars look more clean and solid," he says.

However, as much as Otto enjoys talking about the cars' exterior, it's their interior which he gets really excited about. "The interior is where most of the surprises are," he says.

The S40's center control panel flows into the center console, creating the "spine" of the car. "One of the most important approaches with the new S40 and V50 was to take a non-automotive, more product design approach to the instrument panel.

"One of the key interior cues is the high shoulder line [the high-level line that runs from the base of windshield and windows around the interior of the car] that encloses you. In that shape sits the instrument panel and the center control panel.

"The idea is that the high-level line encloses you like your living room. The instrument panel is your minimalist furniture in that room and the center control panel is your top-of-the-range hi-fi equipment.

"The way the center control panel flows into the center console creates the spine of the car. That spine has been mirrored in the ceiling, so we have an overhead console, too."

Apart from being like a high-end hi-fi in design, the unique center stack also has several other remarkable attributes. One of these is that it is less than two inches thick.

"We are working a lot with what we call Theatrical Lighting," says Otto. "There is light in the car to create atmosphere and ambiance even when it's dark outside. And there is a light behind the center stack so that you can see the void area. Most of the lights are discreet and hidden, only becoming apparent when you put your hand out to use a control."

Even the keypad on the center control panel was refined for the S40 and V50. "A lot of design thought was put into this to minimize the number of switches," Otto says. This simplification of the controls is a core Volvo philosophy, as Otto explains.

"As cars are getting more and more complicated the amount of information being presented to the driver has almost reached critical mass. So now it's not a question of how many switches can we put in the car, rather how many do we need to. What kind of information does the driver need? And when can they cope with it."

But simplifying the operation of its cars is not a new idea at Volvo. "When we designed the S80 there was an early interior concept of the high specification version that had 78 switches," Otto continues. "We realized people were going to have accidents if they have to work that many switches. So we stopped and made it simpler."

While there are many other examples of detail refinement to the S40 and V50, Otto is clear that here we are dealing with a revolutionary, not evolutionary design. "The way it's designed and the functionality of the center stack are interesting individually," he says.

"But it's the total package of the new S40 and V50 that are the real revolution. They are very harmonious and well-crafted packages from a feature and design perspective. The whole cars are a very, very big step forward in terms of exterior and interior design."

That progresses what Otto calls the emotional ergonomics -- or the feel-good factor -- of the car. "Every time you see the car it should make you pleased, excited, happy about the product and reconfirm why you bought it."