Detroit 2007: your guide to the show - Volvo

No more talk of boxes - ever
If you're still hanging on to the tedious idea that all Volvos are boxy, this XC60 should finally change your mind.

As the moniker suggests, it's a smaller version of the successful XC90 off-roader.

Surely the sleekest design from Volvo yet, the company promises that production models will very closely follow the look of this concept car.

In fact, the exterior should survive largely unchanged, although the interior will be toned down.

On sale next year?
No - it's taken ages for Volvo to get this far with the XC60, and it's going to be another two years before you can buy one.

Will it be safe?
Volvo will work hard to maintain its image for building robust and safe cars. There's a system on the concept called City Safety, for instance, that can automatically apply the brakes at speeds below 19mph to avoid collisions in town.

Hopefully it will pretty green, too. The concept is powered by a 3.2-litre engine that can run on bioethanol, reducing the car's dependence on fossil fuels.