The Volvo YCC will be the public relations coup of the New York International Auto Show next month if its debut at the recent Geneva show is any guide. The reason is easy to understand. For an old-fashioned metal-bashing industry dominated by men, any car created entirely by women is bound to be of special interest.
Executives of Volvo's rivals sniped that excluding men from the design amounted to discrimination, but the Swedish automaker insists that the YCC makes good business sense.
The role of women in society is a matter of considerable public debate in Sweden. Despite the country's egalitarian reputation, its large industrial groups have virtually no women on their management boards. Yet, a fifth of the Volvo Car Corp's 27,000 employees worldwide are women, the company says, including nearly a quarter of its research-and-development personnel.
PHOTO: AP
"We are part of a car industry dominated by men, wanting to attract a growing number of women buyers," said Hans-Olov Olsson, president of Volvo.
The idea behind YCC -- short for Your Concept Car -- sprang from a women's advisory committee created at Volvo in the fall of 2001. A year later, the committee was given approval for a team of nine women to design and build a concept car to be unveiled at this year's Geneva auto show.
"If you expected good old Volvo to bring you a boxy car in pink with lots of child safety seats, you'd be wrong," Olsson said.
The team came up with a coupe with two gullwing doors and some clever ideas on visibility, simplicity and practicality. The car will not be sold in this form, but Henrik Otto, Volvo's design director, said some aspects of it will go into cars that reach consumers.
Some features could be seen as cliches about female expectations and tastes: a sealed hood that can be removed only at the dealership, an electronic self-parking device, flowery seat covers and hollowed-out headrests that accommodate ponytails.
But Volvo rejects the criticism, pointing out that automatic parking and sealed engine compartments are being tested by other automakers.
Olsson quoted Marti Barletta, an American marketing expert on women's buying patterns, as saying: "If you meet the expectations of women, you exceed the expectations of men."
The YCC project was led by Camilla Palmertz.
"This is not a car just for women," she said. "This is Your Concept Car."
DEFENDING DEMOCRACY: Taiwan shares the same values as those that fought in WWII, and nations must unite to halt the expansion of a new authoritarian bloc, Lai said The government yesterday held a commemoration ceremony for Victory in Europe (V-E) Day, joining the rest of the world for the first time to mark the anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. Taiwan honoring V-E Day signifies “our growing connections with the international community,” President William Lai (賴清德) said at a reception in Taipei on the 80th anniversary of V-E Day. One of the major lessons of World War II is that “authoritarianism and aggression lead only to slaughter, tragedy and greater inequality,” Lai said. Even more importantly, the war also taught people that “those who cherish peace cannot
Taiwanese Olympic badminton men’s doubles gold medalist Wang Chi-lin (王齊麟) and his new partner, Chiu Hsiang-chieh (邱相榤), clinched the men’s doubles title at the Yonex Taipei Open yesterday, becoming the second Taiwanese team to win a title in the tournament. Ranked 19th in the world, the Taiwanese duo defeated Kang Min-hyuk and Ki Dong-ju of South Korea 21-18, 21-15 in a pulsating 43-minute final to clinch their first doubles title after teaming up last year. Wang, the men’s doubles gold medalist at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics, partnered with Chiu in August last year after the retirement of his teammate Lee Yang
The Philippines yesterday criticized a “high-risk” maneuver by a Chinese vessel near the disputed Scarborough Shoal (Huangyan Island, 黃岩島) in a rare incident involving warships from the two navies. The Scarborough Shoal — a triangular chain of reefs and rocks in the contested South China Sea — has been a flash point between the countries since China seized it from the Philippines in 2012. Taiwan also claims the shoal. Monday’s encounter took place approximately 11.8 nautical miles (22km) southeast” of the Scarborough Shoal, the Philippine military said, during ongoing US-Philippine military exercises that Beijing has criticized as destabilizing. “The Chinese frigate BN 554 was
The number of births in Taiwan fell to an all-time monthly low last month, while the population declined for the 16th consecutive month, Ministry of the Interior data released on Friday showed. The number of newborns totaled 8,684, which is 704 births fewer than in March and the lowest monthly figure on record, the ministry said. That is equivalent to roughly one baby born every five minutes and an annual crude birthrate of 4.52 per 1,000 people, the ministry added. Meanwhile, 17,205 deaths were recorded, resulting in a natural population decrease of 8,521, the data showed. More people are also leaving Taiwan, with net
RSS