Frankfurt LIVE: Volvo Concept Coupé

The Concept Coupé is billed as a 21st century P1800.

Volvo has unveiled the Concept Coupé at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month. The coupe is the first of three show cars designed to demonstrate the versatility of Volvo's new Scalable Product Architecture (SPA).

Billed as a heir to the shapely P1800 of the 1960s, the Concept Coupé wears a more dynamic design than any Volvo in recent history thanks to an aggressive front bumper with three air dams, angular headlights that incorporate T-shaped LED daytime running lights and an elegant radiator grille characterized by floating horizontal slats. Out back, the coupe features muscular haunches and C-shaped tail lamps.

With room for up to four passengers, the coupe's interior blends retro-inspired cues such as a three-spoke steering wheel loosely inspired by select P1800 models and round gauges with state-of-the-art technology like an infotainment system controlled by a large touch screen and a heads-up display.

The Concept Coupé is powered by a plug-in hybrid drivetrain consisting of a 2.0-liter gas-burning four-cylinder engine that is both turbocharged and supercharged and an electric motor mounted on the rear axles. Combined, the two power sources provide 400 horsepower and over 443 lb-ft. of torque to all four wheels.

Despite rumors of an upcoming four-seater coupe scheduled to bow in 2016, Volvo has not indicated what the future holds for the sleek coupe, saying only that it gives an idea of what direction its design department will take over the next few years. The firm's next design language - and the aforementioned SPA platform - will debut in Geneva next year with the all-new second-generation XC90.