Geneva show: Volvo's sexy take on the humble wagon

VOLVO is set to return to its roots with a sleek take on the traditional station wagon to be revealed at the Geneva motor show next month.

The Swedish car-maker will debut the Concept Estate at the Swiss show, marking the third in a series of concepts built to showcase Volvo’s next-generation design language under the guidance of the company’s design chief Thomas Ingenlath.

Images of the Concept Estate were revealed on the website of Swedish raincoat maker Stutterheim, which was commissioned by Volvo to create a unique cover for the vehicle. Teaser images of the car show it partially hidden by this creation.

The concept’s bull-horn shaped tail-light design is similar to that of the XC Coupe concept from this year’s Detroit motor show, while a high waist-line and bulging wheel arches hide under the hand-made cover.

The shape appears to preview a sleek new wagon body-style which could provide a sneak peak at the design of the next-generation S60/V60 mid-size twins.

Both the S60 and V60 launched in late 2010/early 2011, with a facelift appearing in Australia in October last year, meaning an all new model is a few years off.

“The paths and philosophies of Volvo Cars and Stutterheim intersect at several points, both of us taking pride in craftsmanship, design and a Scandinavian heritage,” the raincoat-maker said in a statement on its website.

Volvo kicked off its trilogy of design concepts with the stunning Concept Coupe at the Frankfurt motor show in September that was a modern take on the company’ s sleek 1960s P1800 sports coupe.

This was followed by the XC Coupe crossover concept from the Detroit show in January that was said to preview the design for the next XC90 SUV due later this year.