A recent fermentation of this symbolic pluralism (we live in a multi-cultural society after all) is the BMW X4, which is conceived thus: 3-series begets SUV begets coupe. Now Volvo is attempting to do one better. The coupe-ised S60 sedan has been given the donk treatment (I'll come to that in a moment) to create a peculiarly appealing concept, if only because chalk isn't usually served with cheese.
Ah yes, the donk. Americans might know the term, or fans of street culture. I'm not either, but I have in the past stumbled upon this odd bastardisation of Americana. In Tokyo, three-box Caddies put out to pasture are mounted on roller-skate wheels -the smaller the better -with blue underbody lighting. You probably know them as low-riders. Those Broughams which didn't find 10" wires fare rather differently. They are mounted on collosal cart-wheels, so that the bottom of the body is in line with the top of the wheels.
Okay, the Volvo S60 might be a little off this, but the principle remains. The only difference is approach. Marketing invariably guides the design department in voicing the views of the customers, so a sedan will become more coupe-like because customers say so. This feedback will take about four years to bake-in before the result is on the road. Add another four (the typical development time of a car) to work positive crossover feedback into the mix, and you can see why designers feel frustrated when concepts they sketch can take a decade to be vindicated. So who will produce the first two-door coupe-crossover 14 years after the X-Coupe? I wouldn't bet against Volvo.
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