The new Volvo FH – a major challenge for Volvo Trucks’ designers
Truck
design is about much more than just colour, shape and attractive lines. Behind
the new, safer, larger and more ergonomically optimised Volvo FH lies a
significant design challenge. “Coming up with solutions where design and
function go hand in hand was one of our most important tasks,” says Rikard
Orell, Design Director at Volvo Trucks.
From the first stroke of his pen
on the drawing board to complete truck, the process took just over five years.
Several thousand hours and at least an equal number of decisions and procedures
later it was finally ready – the new Volvo FH.
“The design challenge we were
given was to create something that was exciting and fresh, while at the same
time retaining and carrying over all those elements that were so highly
appreciated in the previous model,” relates Rikard Orell.
In practice what
the Göteborg-based design group had to do was to find solutions in which all the
individual parts of the truck interlinked smoothly with each other and created a
single cohesive feel. Every visible surface, inside as well as out, was examined
in minute detail by the design department. So too were the sounds and tactile
feel of the buttons and controls, the structure of the textiles and the in-cab
lighting – all were tailored to meet the high demands and expectations of an
all-new Volvo FH. Demands that are expressed in parameters such as tough
standards regarding safety and driver’s environment.
“There is sometimes
this misunderstanding regarding design – that it’s simply about appearance,
about colour and shape. The reality is that design and function must go hand in
hand. The designer’s task is to come up with solutions that make all the
component parts of the truck – both the hardware and the software – join
together in a single, cohesive visual and functional entity,” explains Rikard
Orell.
One early stage of the design process required the design team to
find an expression and an identity for the new truck. Shapes and lines were
exaggerated with the aim of finding the overall visual message that the team
wanted to convey.
“The first thing that was discussed was the various
technical needs, but the basic drive during the concept phase has consistently
been to advance and to increase the cab’s interior volume,” relates Rikard
Orell.
Asok George, Chief Designer Exterior at Volvo Trucks and one of the
team members, relates that work on the design of the new truck started with a
pen on a sketchpad. And there was plenty of scope for giving his imagination a
free rein.
“My inspiration came from everything from new technology and
nature to Volvo’s heritage and Scandinavian culture and design. But my biggest
source of inspiration by far was the drivers who actually use our trucks,” he
says.
As the work progressed, the sketches moved into computer-generated
models and the design took on more realistic lines.
“In the field of design
it’s often all about the details. When you look at the truck it should have a
design that instinctively feels just right,” says Asok George. “It’s the basic
shape, the stance and the proportions that are crucial. All lines and curves
should flow naturally and there mustn’t be anything that disrupts the eye,” he
says.
In order to achieve this, the design group used physical clay models,
both full-size and scale models. “Because even if modern computer programs help
the designer to visualise his or her visions and ideas – the virtual tools are
not always enough,” explains Asok George.
“In the computer the designer
uses more of his or her analytical skills, but when working with clay models
it’s more emotional, everything comes from the heart. For me it’s the
combination of these two approaches that generates a perfect design,” he
says.
Having said that, even if the creative aspect is an important part of
the design of a new truck, it isn’t everything. The demands on the vehicle’s
appearance must also dovetail with a variety of technical requirements and
demands from the truck’s operating environment, for instance that the new FH
must have a larger cab than its predecessor to enhance both comfort and driver
safety.
In order to monitor driver needs, an important part of the
design process involved interviewing drivers at truck stops throughout Europe.
They got to sit in early mock-up models of the new Volvo FH and their feedback
was subsequently used to refine and modify the design to satisfy driver needs.
“It makes no difference how many skilled designers or engineers we have at
Volvo Trucks,” says Claes Hillén, who is responsible for driver interviews and
customer clinics at the product development department. “We can never exactly
understand precisely what a driver’s everyday working situation is like. The
only way to gain an insight into their day-to-day reality is by asking them,” he
says.
All told more than 2000 drivers were interviewed over a five-year
period and together they provided hundreds of years of first-hand experience
from truck driving.
One clear wish that the drivers expressed was for more
and larger storage compartments. This meant the cab had to be bigger. And this
in turn meant that the previously so characteristically raked-back A-pillars – a
Volvo FH hallmark – had to be made more upright. So the design team worked hard
on sloping lines and a slanting roof so as to retain the dynamic FH profile. The
result is a cab that is now one cubic metre bigger and offers 300 litres more
storage space. This also means the seat can slide back a further four
centimetres, and in an accident there is more survival space than ever before.
“This is precisely what design is all about for me: ensuring that the
product we create actually is tailored to the specific needs of the people who
will use it,” says Rikard Orell. “That means not only going with the rational
choices, since we human beings are not only rational but also very emotional.
For a driver it’s a matter of being able to live and operate comfortably in the
truck and also about feeling a sense of pride in the job. The truck’s functional
and dynamic design has the task of contributing to that,” he
adds.
Another example of the way design and function go hand in hand to
improve safety in the truck is the new rear-view mirrors. In the new model they
are attached to slimmer arms than before and the large cover surrounding the
glass has been deleted.
“This solution reduces the number of blind spots for
the driver so the safety gains are immense. What’s more, I feel the new design
also gives significant aesthetic benefits,” says Rikard Orell.
One important
factor to bear in mind during the design process was that the new truck had to
retain its distinctive Volvo profile. That typical Volvo design, based on
low-key Scandinavian colours, simple elegance and efficient lines – played the
lead role.
“The result is a truck that is honest, straightforward, without
unnecessary adornment. Everything you see is there for a reason. Although we’ve
changed just about everything on this truck, we’ve nonetheless succeeded with
our aim: to capture the heritage of the previous FH and at the same time give
the new truck a more composed, self-assured attitude,” concludes Rikard Orell.
Watch a film about the design process here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y194ZJioiwI
For
further information, please contact:
Ida Mattsson?PR and Media
Relations
+46 31 323 63 42?E-mail: ida.mattsson@volvo.com
