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Jonathan Dale Interview Continued... Page 1 -Page 2  What's a typical day in the life
of Jonathan Dale?  Pretty normal I would say. I am
always looking for something to do. I have just started to play Golf. Sweden is probably one of the most
beautiful countries I have lived in. Playing golf or swimming in the clear blue ocean here is something
that I would like to do everyday. Unfortunately I only do both, two or three times a week. I like to relax,
read, fish. On the weekend I will probably go for a good drive sit by the side of a lake, swim, fish,
set up the BBQ at wait for the sun to go down (which can be quite late here in Sweden). Drink a few beers
with friends and set up camp.
What car sits in your garage? A lot of cars, BMW, Volvos,
Mercedes Benz. Only joking I have a communal parking under the house. I do have an S60 T5 for my day to
day car. For the weekend I have 1958 Porsche 356 Coupe A which is in GT specification dark blue and the
love of my life. What were the objectives
in creating this vehicle? We wanted to develop the
XC 70 into extreme design concepts, something to get even more excited about! We wanted to see which directions
the car could be taken and still have the toughness, strength, and still keep the feeling of Volvo premium,
and quality. I've read that the ACC2's
design was inspired by the Swedish Ice Hotel and the Swiss Army Knife. Where else do you look for inspiration,
on a more specific level? We really did look at the
ice hotel and Swiss army knife. If you see the interior of the car there are  iceglasses
to drink from, just like the ice hotel. The whole experience of the interior to give a feeling of contrasts.
Cold and warm. In the ice hotel you sleep on bed of ice with a fur for warmth. I had this in mind with
the leather seats, the sledge like floor and the snowy carpet surrounding to feel snug and comforting
after a hard day of performance skating.We search every where for new things, graphics, materials. Most ideas are actually from the materials which really start you brainstorming about where you can use them to show them off. Lotta Svärd did a great job, exposing me to lots of different ideas from colour and trim. When did the ACC2 project start,
and how long did it take to complete? The ACC2 project started
in March last year with a sketch from Steve Potter. I did some interior sketches and the ball started
to roll with Peter Horbury's enthusiasm. We finished in time for Geneva. Did you encounter any particular
challenges in designing the ACC2? For me, designing the whole
interior in Alias (CAD) was a huge challenge because you don't really know how the interior will turn
out until the last weeks of the project. I had sketches and renderings, but the feeling you get from sitting
in the car is always more exciting than you can ever imagine. Now onto a few concept
car details. In the 3D rendered images, it looks as if the slits in the centre console are lighted. Is
this correct, and if so, does it exist in the real-life model? Yes and yes. We wanted
to show where the hot or cold air could come from. The lights added a real "COOL" feeling to
the interior. The signal stick has a
cross sign on the end of it. Will this be used as a navigation button of so rts?
Yes, there is a
similar button on the back of today's car with the sat-nav system. I also wanted to play with graphics
and this theme is carried on throughout the interior design, even on to the location points for the four
ice glasses. Out of interest, is the concept
vehicle drivable in its present state? If so, does it have the performance enhancements described? The car is currently in
Japan (ED note: as of late June, 2002)... I did actually drive the car
in California for CAR magazine to take photographs. So yes the car can be driven. The car has all the
performance enhancements as stated in the Geneva press pack.Thanks very much for your time Jonathan, we truly appreciate taking the time to speak with us about design and the ACC2. I know I'm looking forward to seeing what the next step is for the Cross Country, and I'm sure most of our readers are as well! All the best! As mentioned, Jonathan is very interested in what owners of the present Cross Country have to say about the ACC2. Click on over to the forums to give us your feedback! Thanks! |
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