Volvo Concept Car Designed by women for women

Minimal maintenance

"We want cars to make life easier for their owners, not complicate things for them," says project manager Eva-Lisa Andersson. So the YCC has made user car care about as easy as it can get. "The only time I ever open my bonnet is when I need to fill up with windscreen washer fluid," says Tatiana Butovitsch Temm, YCC Communications Manager. "So we asked ourselves whether you should have to open the bonnet just to do that. We realised that it could just as easily be done from the side of the car."

That is why the YCC has two capless ball-valve filling points like those used for racing cars beside the door on the driver's side. One for petrol, the other for washer fluid. No fumbling with filler caps or bonnet latches! With the windscreen washer fluid filler outside the car, no bonnet was needed, at least of the conventional type. Volvo service staff are the only ones who ever need to access the engine, when the time comes for routine service.

When service is due, the car automatically notifies a service centre of your choice. The service centre then suggests an appointment time which you can confirm or reject. The YCC also carries out its own diagnostic checks at regular intervals and notifies your service centre if anything needs attention. This also ensures that any spare parts or materials will be there when they are needed. "To us, service is more than just mechanical maintenance. By pressing the Car Care button on the control panel, you can also book your car in for valeting, inside and out," says Andersson.

The car is finished in Easy-Clean paint

This behaves rather like the coating on a non-stick pan - dirt finds it very hard to cling on in the first place and, if it does, it washes off very easily. The interchangeable seat covers and carpets are also washable. The YCC's tyres are of the run-flat type. Even after a puncture, the car can be driven to a service centre or a suitable place to stop.

Easy to park

Parallel parking assistance is a function both males and females requested. In the YCC, this is a two-stage system. When you need to park between two other cars, but first want to make sure there will be enough space, you press the parking assistance button once for the space-check function. If the system says yes, you can then select the Autopark function by pressing the same button again. The car helps you with the steering to manoeuvre you into the parking space, but you control the accelerator, brakes and gearshift. Autopark streamlines your parallel parking with flair.

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