Unveiled at the 2004 Geneva Auto Show, the Volvo YCC (Your Concept Car) was the first concept car to be designed from start to finish by a team composed exclusively of women. The YCC is a 2-door sports coupe that’s tame by traditional concept car standards. The front end is lower than a traditional Volvo, and the fenders are in sight for better road vision. Additionally, the rear window extends to the extremities of the car and the tail end slants back slightly more than the Volvo S series models. Together, these elements allow the driver to see all four corners of the car’s exterior. Most striking when looking at the car from the front is that it doesn’t have a hood. The design team determined that women don’t need to look under the hood, so why have one? The front section of the chassis can be lifted in a garage, but it doesn’t open like a traditional hood. There are two capless ball-valve filling points, like those of a racing car, that allow the driver to add gasoline and windshield washer fluid. These capless filling points eliminate the need for caps or latches, which were identified as nuisances by most female drivers.
Another radical element are the gull-wing passenger doors, which are intended to allow easier entry. Additional exterior features include an Easy-Clean paint that behaves much like the coating on a non-stick cooking pan, and run-flat tires, so it can be driven a safe distance after a puncture. YCC designers describe the car's interior as more living room than cockpit. When you buy a YCC, your body is scanned at the dealership. Your proportions — height, leg length, and arm length — are used to define a customized driving position. When you insert the key, everything automatically adjusts to your proportions. Of course, the YCC has parallel parking assistance and the auto-open feature that opens the trunk automatically when you stand directly behind the car. For Volvo, and the auto industry, the YCC project marked a new way of thinking. Men typically dominate the car industry, and the YCC was the first project to employ a design team on which women made all of the development decisions. Will women ever be able to actually buy a YCC? Only time will tell.
