What women want

By ALASTAIR SLOANE Motoring editor

The idea of an all-woman team making all the decisions in the development of a new concept car arose at Volvo three years ago. Visiting Volvo at the time for a series of workshops was Marti Barletta, an American expert on female consumer patterns. She claimed: "If you meet the expectations of women, you exceed the expectations of men."

"We're sure it's right," says Camilla Palmertz, one of the two project managers for the Your Concept Car, unveiled at the Geneva motor show. "That's why that thesis has been our guiding light in developing YCC."

The YCC is a one-off concept car, a Volvo showcase for bright ideas and solutions. The most popular solutions will be those that stand the best chance of appearing in future production models.

In June 2002, Palmertz and a group of colleagues were invited to present their idea to Hans-Olov Olsson, president and CEO of Volvo Car Corporation. He liked what he saw.

"Women form an increasingly important customer group for Volvo cars," he said.

"In the United States, 54 per cent of all Volvo buyers are women and the percentage of female customers in Europe is growing steadily, too."

The project management team behind YCC comprised nine women. "We wanted to keep the woman's perspective all the way through," says Olsson.

The project got the go-ahead in December 2002. The brief was clear: a free hand to develop a concept car capable of winning the approval of the independent female professional.

Said Maria Widell Christiansen, project manager, design: "If you divide the car-buying world into three segments, budget, mid-market and premium, our customer research shows that the woman buyer in the premium segment is the most demanding of all customer categories.

"Women customers in the premium segment want everything that men want in terms of performance, prestige and style. But they want more besides: smart storage solutions; a car that is easy to get in and out of; good visibility; a car you can personalise; minimal maintenance; a car that is easy to park."

Christiansen says smart storage goes far beyond where women put their handbag. "It is a question of what to do with your mobile phone, your keys, your notebook computer, your briefcase, your sports bag for the gym and so many other things we carry in our cars.

"The best place for keeping all the things you want on hand in the car is between the front seats. But that is where you normally find the gear lever and handbrake. So we moved them."

The gear lever on YCC is by the steering wheel and the parking brake is electronic and integrated. "This freed up space for storage in the centre console," says Cindy Charwick, who designed the YCC interior.

In the centre console, there is a shallow compartment for keys, mobile phones, coins and other small items. This slides back to reveal a deeper one, big enough for a handbag. Another compartment takes a notebook computer.

Research showed that women often carry a bag in the rear seat. "So we decided to design that area primarily for storage but instantly convertible to seats for two passengers whenever needed," says Palmertz.

The YCC's rear seats resemble cinema seats, which are folded up out of the way until needed. This frees up large amounts of luggage space. Passengers simply lower a seat as they get in.

The gull-wing doors make it easier to get in and out of the vehicle. "It brought other advantages, too," says Holmberg. "It makes it easy to lift a bag in behind the driver's seat and it increases your visibility over your shoulder to the side because the B-pillar has been moved towards the rear.

"Also, when the gull-wing door opens, the drop-down sill below it opens down out of the way, so you do not need to climb in over it."

The exterior has also been developed designed to help the driver to see better.

The bonnet section has been lowered and the bumpers have been deliberately brought into sight. "Add to this the fact that the rear window extends right to the extremities of the car and the driver will know exactly where the four corners of the car are," says Anna Rosen, the designer of the YCC exterior.

Car care has also been made easier, says the team.

"The only time I ever open my bonnet is when I need to fill up with windscreen-washer fluid," says Tatiana Butovitsch Temm, PR manager. "So we asked ourselves whether you should have to open the bonnet just to do that. We realised that it could as easily be done from the outside of the car."

The result was two filling points, like those used for racing cars, beside the door on the driver's side. One for petrol, the other for washer fluid.

An easy-clean exterior paint finish behaves like the coating on a non-stick pan - dirt washes off easily.

WHO'S WHO

Camilla Palmertz, project manager. Palmertz joined Volvo in 1995. Her past projects have included the inflatable curtain safety system and the development of the pregnant crash-test dummy. Palmertz thinks it is important to be able to carry a lot in the back seat of a car and that it should be easy to load and unload. "The YCC's gull-wing doors and fold-down back seats have been instrumental in meeting this requirement."

Eva-Lisa Andersson, project manager with Palmertz. Has been with Volvo since 1985, mostly developing concepts. As she sees it, a car should make life easier, not more complicated. For her, storage and ergonomics have been particularly important aspects of the YCC's development.

Dr Elna Holmberg, technical project manager. Her previous work at Volvo has included aerodynamics and chassis development. For her, the most important aspect in the development of the YCC was giving priority to functions which are important to the customer.

Maria Widell Christiansen, design manager. Joined Volvo in 1986. Headed staff of 25 designers on YCC project. Sees the idea of offering a range of interchangeable seat tops and carpets as the most extraordinary thing about the YCC. "There are eight exchangeable seat-pad options and carpets to choose from. No need to trade in your car just because you have grown tired of its colour scheme."

Tatiana Butovitsch Temm, communications manager. Joined Volvo in 1989. Main task is to make sure YCC getsshown to the world and the reactions are collected and brought back to Volvo. She is particularly pleased with the Autopark system that "makes your life easier and makes you look good at the same time".

Lena Ekelund, deputy technical project manager. Shared responsibility for the technical side of the project and for co-ordinating the design engineering team with Dr Holmberg. Has been with Volvo since 1986. Says the real strength of the YCC project is that it remained focused on customer needs. "Frequently, the solutions needed were relatively simple, such as adapting the head restraint to accommodate a pony-tail and the eye symbol to indicate optimum line of vision."

Anna Rosen, exterior designer. Joined Volvo in 2002. Job was to make YCC as appealing as possible. "Design must arouse emotions, because buying a car always involves an emotional response."

Cynthia Charwick, interior designer. Joined Volvo in 1981. Responsible for freeing up more space in the car for storage and to make it as convenient and uncomplicated as possible. "The fact that this was such a strongly customer-oriented project, based on what women said they wanted, added a whole new dimension."

Maria Uggla, colour and trim designer. Joined Volvo in 2001. Past projects include colour and trim for the new S40 sedan and V50 sportswagon. Had the job of ensuring harmony between the exterior styling and the car interior. "One important aspect of the project was to make the YCC more personal and individual."