In the 1970s, a man in a well-fitting suit and glasses might have turned down Volvo’s plan for a tough, all-terrain SUV in a Gothenburg, Sweden, office with wood panels. He had no idea that he had stolen information from us. If Volvo directors in the 1970s had been brave, they could have shown the world a Swedish car that competes with the Mercedes G-Class and is still for sale today. At that time, the company was thinking about selling this great SUV in Africa and other places that are very poor. These idea sketches were posted on LinkedIn by Hans Hedberg, who is in charge of Volvo’s heritage. They show what might have been. It’s both annoying and exciting to see what other people are missing out on these days. The rough SUV sketch was made by Gunnar Falck, who has worked for Volvo for a long time. If it had ever been made, it would have been one of Volvo’s most beautiful cars. With wedges and perfect angles, its shape is like many of the brand’s best pieces. I love how it looks like it has the physics of a Dorito. In addition to being very boxy, this nameless design has two other really cool qualities. One of them is that it has three doors, which was normal at the time but would have meant only one row of seats. The door glass that goes below the belt line is another interesting feature. But because of safety rules about side impacts, this is not allowed. Hedberg didn’t say what the internal project was called or what engine choices they were thinking about, so it never got past the concept stage. (The amount of the invoice asked Volvo for more information.) Most likely, Falck had a crazy idea that was never developed further than this sketch. But it’s easy to imagine that if it had ever been made, it would be used today and have helped many people in the past. Customers like SUVs that are strong have nice interiors and look good. Take a look at the G-Class, the Jeep Grand Cherokee, the Land Rover Defender, and the Toyota Land Cruiser. Volvo, which has the safest cars in its class and looks like it came from Scandinavia, would be right there with them. Something completely different would have occurred in the globe. But Volvo shouldn’t be making it right now, right?
