Volvo Concept Coupe stars at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show

Over the past few months, Volvo has been taking the fight to the German manufacturers, with its 'bored of German techno' advertising campaign. But the Swedish firm has just taken things to the next level by unveiling the stunning new Concept Coupe. Right here. In Frankfurt. On German soil. The cheek of it. But the fact is, such is the beauty of the Volvo concept, it has the potential to upstage just about everything else here at IAA 2013. Judging by the massive crowds surrounding it here in Frankfurt, Volvo could be on to winner with its new design approach... 


 Perhaps the most exciting thing about the Volvo Concept Coupe is the fact that it hints at the styling of the new 2014 Volvo XC90 that's soon to be unveiled. But fans of the evergreen 7-seater needn't worry, we're not expecting the XC90 to go all sleek and 2+2, but we do expect certain elements to be pulled across to the SUV, most notably the front-end treatment. Volvo claims the Concept Coupe echoes the majesty and elegance of the P1800 and to a certain extent we can see where they're coming from. But cover up the Volvo badge and you'd be hard pressed to recognise this as something coming out of Sweden. We see bits of Audi, Jaguar, even Chevrolet in the styling. A radical departure for Volvo, that's for sure. Time will tell whether or not that's a good thing.

 Put aside the radical departure thing for a moment, because there's no denying it, the Volvo Concept Coupe simply oozes sex appeal. Whilst some concepts rely on drama and theatre to capture the imagination, the Volvo just relies on grace, elegance and panache. The front-end is dominated by the T-shaped daytime running lights and the Volvo corporate grille which is the biggest and perhaps only clue as to this concept's origin. We're also turned on by the low roofline, the taut waistline and those delightful rear lights. Not that we got too long to stand and stare at it, before been barged out of the way by excitable journalists...

 The powertrain is as much a glimpse into Volvo's future as the styling is. Under the bonnet lies a four-cylinder, 2.0-litre engine combining a turbocharger and a supercharger. Volvo's vision is to produce a range of efficient four-cylinder engines with the performance to match a traditional V8 unit. If they sound as good as a V8, we're sold! But there's more - the petrol engine is teamed with an electric motor over the rear axle to provide a total output of 400hp and 443lb ft of torque. In the short term - when translating this to future models - this means that the all-new Volvo XC90 is likely to be one of the most efficient cars in its class. Volvo has today confirmed that the top-spec XC90 will feature a petrol-engined plug-in hybrid. Big news! And, as previously reported here on MSN Cars, the safest car in the world. See, Volvo may go super-sexy, but safety remains the biggest priority.