According to the Swedish carmaker, the new Volvo XC60 was made as an urban ride built on the carmaker’s latest platform and powertrain. Volvo’s first Korean designer Lee Jung-hyun focused on coming up with a sophisticated Swedish luxury look for the new XC60.

Volvo - Made By People - Jung Hyun Lee

“While maintaining the essence of the first generation of the XC60, I wanted to make it more dynamic and sexy,” Lee Jung-hyun said at the event. “I was selected as a finalist with my design sketch, which I believe is because I shared the same vision for the XC60 with Design Chief Thomas Ingenlath,” he added.

The height of the car has been lowered by 55 millimeters but its length and width were increased by 45 and 10 millimeters respectively, giving the midsize SUV a more stable yet dynamic exterior.

“I imagined a constrained but muscular athlete when designing the car,” Lee Jung-hyun said. Lee, 38, is the first Korean designer at Volvo, as well as the senior designer that led the design team behind the new best-selling model XC60.

Lee, who currently works as a senior designer at the headquarters of the Swedish car manufacturer, studied mechanical engineering at a university in South Korea, but went to study abroad in Sweden to pursue his dream to become an automotive designer, a bold move that led him to land a job at Volvo in 2010.

Since then, Lee competed with some 30 other designers at the Swedish car manufacturer before being given the opportunity to lead the design of the all-new XC60 which has come back fully changed after 8 years.

The up and coming South Korean designer says his design philosophy can be described as ‘Lagom’, a Swedish word which means ‘not too much, not too little, but just enough,’ and the design of the new Volvo XC60 reflects Lee’s belief.

“I tried to show influences from the Scandinavian sentiment, while respecting the activeness and elegance of the XC60 series. I wanted to design a car that is timeless and not affected by trends much,” Lee said.

From the bonnet, the upward beltline that connects to the back of the car, coupled with the vehicle’s roofline and the D pillar that add to speediness, all contributed to the XC60’s dynamic and strong image.

Lee says when he saw the first generation of the XC60 series, it reminded him of Korean bows, and thought of coming up with designs that would work with South Korean consumers.

“I thought of the kind of cars my friends, my father and I would want to ride in hopes of better sales performance in the South Korean market. I believe the mixture of the Swedish brand’s design philosophy and the South Korean sensibility will prove competitive,” Lee said.

The 2018 XC60 will be offered in three powertrain options including a 2.0-liter turbo-four in the T5, a 2.0-liter super- and turbocharged I-4 in the T6, and a 400-hp plug-in hybrid that couples the T6’s engine to an electric motor.

Expect the base 2.0-liter turbo-four to be rated around 250 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque, with the super- and turbocharged 2.0-liter I-4 checking in at 316 hp and 295 lb-ft. An eight-speed automatic transmission should be the only gearbox available across the entire lineup. Volvo also says that the lighter and smaller XC60 plug-in hybrid should be able to travel more miles in EV mode compared to the heavier XC90.

Available features include a large digital multi-information display replacing traditional gauges, leather upholstery, a Bowers & Wilkins premium audio system, LED headlights, Volvo’s Sensus infotainment system with a portrait-style 9-inch touchscreen, Bluetooth connectivity, navigation, and a panoramic sunroof.

Richard Kim, the lead exterior designer for the BMW i3 an i8 discusses the technologies and freedom that helped his team develop these innovative new cars.

The BMW Concept i3 is the first premium electric plug-in city car, while the i8 Concept is a hybrid plug-in and combustion engine sports car.

i3 and i8 production models will be available from 2013.

The mobility of the future requires a new balance between global requirements and the needs of the individual. Solutions are needed to provide individual but above all, sustainable mobility.

The BMW Group recognised this need and now presents vehicles under the sub-brand BMW i which open new avenues, specifically responding to changing customer needs and combining inspiring design and a new perception of the term premium, strongly characterised by sustainability. BMW i takes a holistic, all-encompassing approach: with its customised vehicle concepts, sustainability defining the entire the value chain and supplementary mobility services, BMW i is rewriting the concept of individual mobility.

Charging: conveniently at home, at work or on the road.

In practice, charging the BMW i3 is extremely easy, and even today, many people can use electromobility comfortably on a daily basis. This is because at a home charging station – whether a standard electrical socket or the BMW i wallbox – the BMW i3 battery is completely full after a minimum of six hours, and with a modern public quick-charging device 80 per cent of the battery is charged after 30 minutes. In the time it takes to have a spot of lunch or do some shopping in the city centre, the battery can be recharged for a further 120 kilometres.

The BMW i sub-brand presents two special concept vehicles at the Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA): the BMW i3 Concept and the BMW i8 Concept. They demonstrate how the future of sustainable and yet dynamic mobility might look. While the BMW i3 Concept is purely electrically powered and thus optimally equipped for the city, the plug-in hybrid model BMW i8 Concept combines the strengths of both an electric motor and an internal combustion engine, delivering a high level of dynamic performance.

The BMW i3 Concept, which was dubbed the Megacity Vehicle during the development stage, precisely defines as the first purely electrically powered BMW Group production car the future challenges of mobility in urban environments. And as the first premium electric vehicle it interprets the pioneering attributes typical of the BMW brand. With four seats, doors which open wide from the middle of the vehicle, a luggage capacity of around.

Mercedes Silver Arrow, designed by Hubert Lee for the 2011 LA Design Challenge

The classic 1930s and 1950s Silver Arrows from Mercedes count as some of the most beautiful racing cars ever designed. Hubert Lee - the creative director of Mercedes' LA design operation - created a new Mercedes Silver Arrow for the 2011 LA auto show design competition, the LA Design Challenge.

The theme for 2011 was cars for a futuristic Hollywood movie. 'We looked at many influences, but Syd Mead was definitely one,' Lee explains. Beneath the silver wheel shells are omni-directional diagonal rubber sections on a roller that allow steering in all directions. To enable access for passengers, 'the whole dashboard, bonnet and front grille slides forward as one section into the scooped area between the front wheels to create the space for the doors to open up, scissor-style'

Interview with Hubert Lee, Creative Director, Mercedes-Benz

‘This epic adventure has it all, including a surprise ending that will have audiences cheering as our reluctant heroes save the day with a little old-school subterfuge and help from the great tradition of the mercedes-benz automobiles.‘

In a futuristic society of increased artificial intelligence, two enlightened crash test mannequins, Hans05 and Franz02, show that they’re no dummies when it comes to recognizing a potential catastrophe and decide to take matters into their own hands. As the evil battering ram Dr. Crash-Barrier seeks to continue his reign of terror and mayhem, the two heroes take action to save their beloved Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrow. They lead the relentless ‘Dr. Barrier’ on an action packed thrill ride through the past and future of transportation.

The designers at the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studio in Carlsbad, California have created a Hollywood-style homage for Mercedes-Benz to 125 years of innovation in automotive technology and design.

The leading roles are played by two high-tech characters which have been instrumental in reconciling safety and stylish design in automobiles: the Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrow cult racing car and crash test dummies.

The film "Silver Lightning" is set in the near future, in an age of artificial intelligence. Two crash test dummies by the names of Hans05 and Franz02 take on evil ruler Dr. Crash-Barrier to save their beloved Mercedes Silver Arrow. They engage in an action-packed, nerve-jangling duel with the ruthless battering ram before finally outfoxing him. The Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrow Concept is a low-lying sculpture on wheels.