These are the words of Henrik Otto, Volvo Car's Design Director. He emphasises the crisp, sporty lines of Volvo's new medium-size sedan and wagon. They are compact and bestow a dynamic design and premium-car feel. Henrik Otto and his team obtained their inspiration from classic Scandinavian design typified by clean shapes and open surfaces, airiness and intimate interplay between form and function.

Exterior evolution - interior revolution
The exterior is an evolution of Volvo Car's modern body design, while the interior is something of a revolution. Minimalism maximises the large-car impression despite the compact exterior dimensions.

The interior is built up of several visual layers. The first layer shows as an edge trimming around the entire interior, along the side windows and the windscreen. The impression is of being safely ensconced in a cocoon.

The next layer is the instrument panel. It has a clean, uncluttered layout, with air vents and other details positioned as islands in an otherwise free area. The instrument panel has a new type of surface, a texture conveying a feel of cutting-edge technical innovation rather than classic leather-trimmed furniture. This special surface texture separates the instrument panel visually from the cabin's outer edge trim.

Elegant and spacious
The most distinctive new feature in the passenger compartment is the unique, super-slim Floating Centre Console that elegantly links together the tunnel console with the instrument panel. The Floating Centre Console constitutes the interior's topmost layer. It is further described in a separate press release.

There is another console in the roof, echoing the Floating Centre Console and continuing the theme of the car's central nerve system.

High-tech T-Tec upholstery
The interior is available in choice of three shades: off-black, lava grey and quartz. Each interior colour is available with a range of matching upholstery colours.

Leather is standard on SE and T5 models. The most innovative upholstery is Dala, a ribbed textile with T-Tec elements and visible light-coloured seams.
T-Tec is a material specially developed for Volvo Cars and inspired by sportswear and reinforces the cars' dynamic skills. T-Tec is the standard material in step-in models of S40 and V50.

Impressive from the inside out
New S40 and new V50 are shorter, but at the same time wider and taller than their predecessors. Overall, both cars offer more interior space. The bonnet is short and there is a pronounced cab-forward profile. This eager stance, as though the car is constantly urging ahead, creates a sensation of speed even when at a standstill and at the same time creates additional space for a long passenger cabin and generous rear-seat legroom.

The track and wheelbase have been extended, virtually putting a wheel at each corner. This contributes to the sporty appearance and gives the car stable on-the-road behaviour. The long wheelbase also makes it possible to fit conveniently wide rear doors.

Strong, agile form
Viewed from above, S40 and V50 have a rounded front, a broad midsection and a narrowing tail. Together with the broad shoulders, this shape forges a compact and athletic impression, and it also contributes to excellent aerodynamics of 0.31 (S40) and 0.32 (V50).

The doors are convex in profile, unlike the concave shape of the doors on larger Volvo models. This convex curvature reinforces the compact appearance and enhances the cabin's width.

The windscreen wipers are of an entirely new type, concealed under the trailing edge of the bonnet. There are turn indicator repeaters integrated into the door mirrors, easily visible from the sides.

In order to further emphasise the sporty nature of S40 and V50, Volvo has designed an accessory package consisting of more pronounced sill mouldings and spoilers. A number of newly designed 18-inch aluminium wheels and 215/45 rubber are also available as accessories.

Genuine Volvo identity
S40 and V50 cast a distinctive silhouette - yet their styling honours a clear Volvo identity. The S40 grille with its familiar diagonal has a horizontal mesh pattern in a dark-grey metallic colour, echoing the Volvo S60 and S80. The bonnet expresses the pronounced V-shape. The body's contour lines - the classic Volvo 'shoulders' along either side of the body - are inherited from the rest of the Volvo family.

Those broad shoulders are a modern Volvo feature that signal power and safety. From the rear, the distinctive tail lamps show with the utmost clarity that what lies ahead is a Volvo.

The V50 is equally as identifiable as a Volvo. The vertical grille design and silver-shadow headlamp colour give the V50 an individual frontal appearance different from the S40 - with darker grille and dark headlamp colour.

Tale of the tape
New S40 and new V50 are shorter overall than their predecessors, but they are larger in every other respect:

How new S40 compares with previous S40:
Length: 4468mm (-48mm shorter)
Width: 1770mm (+54mm wider)
Height: 1452mm (+44mm taller)
Wheelbase: 2640mm (+78mm longer)
Track front: 1535mm (+63mm wider)
Track rear: 1531mm (+57mm wider)

How new V50 compares with V40.
Length: 4514mm (-2mm shorter)
Width: 1770mm (+54mm wider)
Height: 1452mm (+27mm taller) without roof rails
Wheelbase: 2640mm (+78mm longer)
Track front: 1535mm (+63mm wider)
Track rear: 1531mm (+57mm wider)

Because headroom has increased, the driver's H point in V50 is higher than in V40. This gives the driver more comfort and better over-bonnet visibility.